CATTLE   BRANDS 


BY  ANDY 
ADAMS 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

PRESENTED  BY 

PROF. CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 
MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


CATTLE  BRANDS,     izmo,  41.50. 

THE  OUTLET.     Illustrated.    i2mo,  $1.50. 

A  TEXAS  MATCHMAKER.     Illustrated,     xamo,  $1.50. 

THE   LOG   OF  A   COWBOY.     Illustrated.     i2mo,$i.so. 

HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  &  CO. 
BOSTON  AND  NBW  YORK 


CATTLE    BRANDS 


CATTLE  BRANDS 

&  Collection  of  fteegtcrn  Camp-fire 


BY 

ANDY  ADAMS 


-x- 

IOA 

-BQ 

J-I-H 

010 

-Z- 

LonUon 
ARCHIBALD   CONSTABLE   &   COMPANY,  LTD. 

BOSTON   AND   NEW   YORK 

HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND  COMPANY 
1906 


COPYRIGHT    1906   BY   ANDY   ADAMS 
ALL   RIGHTS   RESERVED 


Published  March  iqob 


THIRD   IMPRESSION 


Ps  ISM 


TO 
MR.    AND    MRS.    HENRY  RUSSELL  WRAY 


CONTENTS 

I.  DRIFTING  NORTH  i 

II.  SEIGERMAN'S  PER  CENT  ...  27 

III.  "BAD  MEDICINE"         .  .         .  .51 

IV.  A  WINTER  ROUND-UP  ...  68 
V.  A  COLLEGE  VAGABOND  .         .  .86 

VI.  THE  DOUBLE  TRAIL         .         .  .         107 

VII.  RANGERING           .         .         .         .  131 

VIII.  AT  COMANCHE  FORD        .         .  .         158 

IX.  AROUND  THE  SPADE  WAGON         .  .186 

X.  THE  RANSOM  OF  DON  RAMON   MORA       212 

XI.  THE  PASSING  OF  PEG-LEG    .         .  .     240 

XII.  IN  THE  HANDS  OF  His  FRIENDS  .         260 

XIII.  A  QUESTION  OF  POSSESSION            .  .     282 

XIV.  THE  STORY  OF  A  POKER  STEER  .         293 

"The  Passing  of  Peg-Leg"  and  "A  Question  of  Possession"  appeared 
originally  in  Leslie's  Monthly,  and  are  here  reprinted  by  permission  of  the 
publishers  of  that  magazine. 


M31334O 


BRANDS 


-  X  -     Bar  X  bar. 
OIO         Ohio. 

Barb  wire. 

Hat. 

Apple. 
^^j^j-x  Diamond  tail. 

|  O  A          Iowa. 

J  +  H       Johnson  &  Hosmer, 
U.  S.        United  States.1 
S.  "Sold."1 

Dead  tree. 

Tin  cup. 


—  2.  —      Bar  Z  bar. 
Running  W. 


O        Three  &&. 


Two  bars. 
Broken  arrow. 
It  O        Four  D. 
J  Turkey  track. 

Owned  by  "Bar- 
*Q'  becue"  Campbell. 

*.  L.  X. 


"  Inspected  and 
•  C>       condemned."1 


Spade. 
Flower  pot. 

^S       Frying  pan. 
Laurel  leaf. 


X  -  2    X  bar  two. 


These  three  belong  to  the  United  States  Government. 


CATTLE    BRANDS 


DRIFTING  NORTH 

IT  was  a  wet,  bad  year  on  the  Old  Western 
Trail.    From   Red    River   north   and    all 
along  was  herd  after  herd  waterbound  by 
high  water  in  the  rivers.    Our  outfit  lay  over 
nearly  a  week  on  the  South  Canadian,  but  we 
were  not  alone,  for  there  were  five  other  herds 
waiting  for  the  river  to  go  down.     This  river 
had  tumbled  over  her  banks  for  several  days, 
and  the  driftwood  that  was  coming  down  would 
have  made  it  dangerous  swimming  for  cattle. 
We  were  expected  to  arrive  in  Dodge  early 
in  June,  but  when  we  reached  the  North  Fork 
of  the  Canadian,  we  were  two  weeks  behind 
time. 

Old  George  Carter,  the  owner  of  the  herd, 
was  growing  very  impatient  about  us,  for  he 
had  had  no  word  from  us  after  we  had  crossed 
Red  River  at  Doan's  crossing.  Other  cow 
men  lying  around  Dodge,  who  had  herds  on 
the  trail,  could  .hear  nothing  from  their  men, 
but  in  their  experience  and  confidence  in  their 


2  CATTLE   BRANDS 

outfits  guessed  the  cause  —  it  was  water.  Our 
surprise  when  we  came  opposite  Camp  Supply 
to  have  Carter  and  a  stranger  ride  out  to  meet 
us  was  not  to  be  measured.  They  had  got  im 
patient  waiting,  and  had  taken  the  mail  buck- 
board  to  Supply,  making  inquiries  along  the 
route  for  the  Hat  herd,  which  had  not  passed 
up  the  trail,  so  they  were  assured.  Carter  was 
so  impatient  that  he  could  not  wait,  as  he  had 
a  prospective  buyer  on  his  hands,  and  the  de 
lay  in  the  appearing  of  the  herd  was  very  an 
noying  to  him.  Old  George  was  as  tickled  as 
a  little  boy  to  meet  us  all. 

The  cattle  were  looking  as  fine  as  silk.  The 
lay-overs  had  rested  them.  The  horses  were 
in  good  trim,  considering  the  amount  of  wet 
weather  we  had  had.  Here  and  there  was  a 
nigger  brand,  but  these  saddle  galls  were  un 
avoidable  when  using  wet  blankets.  The  cat 
tle  were  twos  and  threes.  We  had  left  western 
Texas  with  a  few  over  thirty-two  hundred 
head  and  were  none  shy.  We  could  have 
counted  out  more,  but  on  some  of  them  the 
Hat  brand  had  possibly  faded  out.  We  went 
into  a  cosy  camp  early  in  the  evening.  Every 
thing  needful  was  at  hand,  wood,  water,  and 
grass.  Cowmen  in  those  days  prided  them 
selves  on  their  outfits,  and  Carter  was  a  trifle 
gone  on  his  men. 


DRIFTING  NORTH  3 

With  the  cattle  on  hand,  drinking  was  out 
of  the  question,  so  the  only  way  to  show  us  any 
regard  was  to  bring  us  a  box  of  cigars.  He 
must  have  brought  those  cigars  from  Texas, 
for  they  were  wrapped  in  a  copy  of  the  Fort 
Worth  "  Gazette."  It  was  a  month  old  and  full 
of  news.  Every  man  in  the  outfit  read  and 
reread  it.  There  were  several  train  robberies 
reported  in  it,  but  that  was  common  in  those 
days.  They  had  nominated  for  Governor 
"  The  Little  Cavalryman,"  Sol  Ross,  and  this 
paper  estimated  that  his  majority  would  be 
at  least  two  hundred  thousand.  We  were  all 
anxious  to  get  home  in  time  to  vote  for  him. 

Theodore  Baughman  was  foreman  of  our 
outfit.  Baugh  was  a  typical  trail-boss.  He 
had  learned  to  take  things  as  they  came,  play 
the  cards  as  they  fell,  and  not  fret  himself 
about  little  things  that  could  not  be  helped. 
If  we  had  been  a  month  behind  he  would 
never  have  thought  to  explain  the  why  or 
wherefore  to  old  man  Carter.  Several  years 
after  this,  when  he  was  scouting  for  the  army, 
he  rode  up  to  a  herd  over  on  the  Chisholm 
trail  and  asked  one  of  the  tail  men:  "Son, 
have  you  seen  anything  of  about  three  hun 
dred  nigger  soldiers  ?  "  "  No,"  said  the  cow 
boy.  "  Well,"  said  Baugh,  "  I  Ve  lost  about 
that  many." 


4  CATTLE  BRANDS 

That  night  around  camp  the  smoke  was 
curling  upward  from  those  cigars  in  clouds. 
When  supper  was  over  and  the  guards 
arranged  for  the  night,  story-telling  was  in 
order.  This  cattle-buyer  with  us  lived  in 
Kansas  City  and  gave  us  several  good  ones. 
He  told  us  of  an  attempted  robbery  of  a  bank 
which  had  occurred  a  few  days  before  in  a 
western  town.  As  a  prelude  to  the  tale,  he 
gave  us  the  history  of  the  robbers. 

"  Cow  Springs,  Kansas,"  said  he,  "  earned 
the  reputation  honestly  of  being  a  hard  cow- 
town.  When  it  became  the  terminus  of  one 
of  the  many  eastern  trails,  it  was  at  its  worst. 
The  death-rate  amongst  its  city  marshals  — 
always  due  to  a  six-shooter  in  the  hands  of 
some  man  who  never  hesitated  to  use  it  — 
made  the  office  not  over  desirable.  The  office 
was  vacated  so  frequently  in  this  manner  that 
at  last  no  local  man  could  be  found  who  would 
have  it.  Then  the  city  fathers  sent  to  Texas 
for  a  man  who  had  the  reputation  of  being 
a  killer.  He  kept  his  record  a  vivid  green  by 
shooting  first  and  asking  questions  afterward. 

"  Well,  the  first  few  months  he  filled  the 
office  of  marshal  he  killed  two  white  men  and 
an  Indian,  and  had  the  people  thoroughly  buf 
faloed.  When  the  cattle  season  had  ended  and 
winter  came  on,  the  little  town  grew  tame  and 


DRIFTING  NORTH  5 

listless.  There  was  no  man  to  dare  him  to 
shoot,  and  he  longed  for  other  worlds  to  con 
quer.  He  had  won  his  way  into  public  confi 
dence  with  his  little  gun.  But  this  confidence 
reposed  in  him  was  misplaced,  for  he  proved 
his  own  double  both  in  morals  and  courage. 

"  To  show  you  the  limit  of  the  confidence 
he  enjoyed:  the  treasurer  of  the  Cherokee 
Strip  Cattle  Association  paid  rent  money  to 
that  tribe,  at  their  capital,  fifty  thousand  dollars 
quarterly.  The  capital  is  not  located  on  any 
railroad;  so  the  funds  in  currency  were  taken 
in  regularly  by  the  treasurer,  and  turned  over 
to  the  tribal  authorities.  This  trip  was  always 
made  with  secrecy,  and  the  marshal  was  taken 
along  as  a  trusted  guard.  It  was  an  extremely 
dangerous  trip  to  make,  as  it  was  through  a 
country  infested  with  robbers  and  the  capital 
at  least  a  hundred  miles  from  the  railroad. 
Strange  no  one  ever  attempted  to  rob  the 
stage  or  private  conveyance,  though  this  sum 
was  taken  in  regularly  for  several  years.  The 
average  robber  was  careful  of  his  person,  and 
could  not  be  induced  to  make  a  target  of  him 
self  for  any  money  consideration,  where  there 
was  danger  of  a  gun  in  the  hands  of  a  man 
that  would  shoot  rapidly  and  carelessly. 

"Before  the  herds  began  to  reach  as  far 
north,  the  marshal  and  his  deputy  gave  some 


6  CATTLE  BRANDS 

excuse  and  disappeared  for  a  few  days,  which 
was  quite  common  and  caused  no  comment. 
One  fine  morning  the  good  people  of  the  town 
where  the  robbery  was  attempted  were  thrown 
into  an  uproar  by  shooting  in  their  bank,  just 
at  the  opening  hour.  The  robbers  were  none 
other  than  our  trusted  marshal,  his  deputy, 
and  a  cow-puncher  who  had  been  led  into 
the  deal.  When  they  ordered  the  officials  of 
the  bank  to  stand  in  a  row  with  hands  up, 
they  were  nonplused  at  their  refusal  to  com 
ply.  The  attacked  party  unearthed  ugly  look 
ing  guns  and  opened  fire  on  the  hold-ups  in 
stead. 

"This  proved  bad  policy,  for  when  the 
smoke  cleared  away  the  cashier,  a  very  pop 
ular  man,  was  found  dead,  while  an  assistant 
was  dangerously  wounded.  The  shooting, 
however,  had  aroused  the  town  to  the  situa 
tion,  and  men  were  seen  running  to  and  fro 
with  guns.  This  unexpected  refusal  and  the 
consequent  shooting  spoiled  the  plans  of  the 
robbers,  so  that  they  abandoned  the  robbery 
and  ran  to  their  horses. 

"After  mounting  they  parleyed  with  each 
other  a  moment  and  seemed  bewildered  as  to 
which  way  they  should  ride,  finally  riding  south 
toward  what  seemed  a  broken  country.  Very 
few  minutes  elapsed  before  every  man  who 


DRIFTING  NORTH  7 

could  find  a  horse  was  joining  the  posse  that 
was  forming  to  pursue  them.  Before  they  were 
out  of  sight  the  posse  had  started  after  them. 
They  were  well  mounted  and  as  determined  a 
set  of  men  as  were  ever  called  upon  to  meet 
a  similar  emergency.  They  had  the  decided 
advantage  of  the  robbers,  as  their  horses  were 
fresh,  and  the  men  knew  every  foot  of  the 
country. 

"The  broken  country  to  which  the  hold-ups 
headed  was  a  delusion  as  far  as  safety  was  con 
cerned.  They  were  never  for  a  moment  out 
of  sight  of  the  pursuers,  and  this  broken  coun 
try  ended  in  a  deep  coulee.  When  the  posse 
saw  them  enter  this  they  knew  that  their  cap 
ture  was  only  a  matter  of  time.  Nature  seemed 
against  the  robbers,  for  as  they  entered  the 
coulee  their  horses  bogged  down  in  a  springy 
rivulet,  and  they  were  so  hard  pressed  that 
they  hastily  dismounted,  and  sought  shelter  in 
some  shrubbery  that  grew  about.  The  pursu 
ing  party,  now  swollen  to  quite  a  number,  had 
spread  out  and  by  this  time  surrounded  the 
men.  They  were  seen  to  take  shelter  in  a 
clump  of  wild  plum  brush,  and  the  posse  closed 
in  on  them.  Seeing  the  numbers  against  them, 
they  came  out  on  demand  and  surrendered. 
Neither  the  posse  nor  themselves  knew  at  this 
time  that  the  shooting  in  the  bank  had  killed 


8  CATTLE  BRANDS 

the  cashier.  Less  than  an  hour's  time  had 
elapsed  between  the  shooting  and  the  capture. 
When  the  posse  reached  town  on  their  return, 
they  learned  of  the  death  of  the  cashier,  and 
the  identity  of  the  prisoners  was  soon  estab 
lished  by  citizens  who  knew  the  marshal  and 
his  deputy.  The  latter  admitted  their  identity. 

"That  afternoon  they  were  photographed, 
and  later  in  the  day  were  given  a  chance  to 
write  to  any  friends  to  whom  they  wished  to 
say  good-by.  The  cow-puncher  was  the  only 
one  who  availed  himself  of  the  opportunity. 
He  wrote  to  his  parents.  He  was  the  only  one 
of  the  trio  who  had  the  nerve  to  write,  and 
seemed  the  only  one  who  realized  the  enor 
mity  of  his  crime,  and  that  he  would  never  see 
the  sun  of  another  day. 

"As  darkness  settled  over  the  town,  the 
mob  assembled.  There  was  no  demonstration. 
The  men  were  taken  quietly  out  and  hanged. 
At  the  final  moment  there  was  a  remarkable 
variety  of  nerve  shown.  The  marshal  and 
deputy  were  limp,  unable  to  stand  on  their 
feet.  With  piteous  appeals  and  tears  they 
pleaded  for  mercy,  something  they  themselves 
had  never  shown  their  own  victims.  The  boy 
who  had  that  day  written  his  parents  his  last 
letter  met  his  fate  with  Indian  stoicism.  He 
cursed  the  crouching  figures  of  his  pardners 


DRIFTING  NORTH  9 

for  enticing  him  into  this  crime,  and  begged 
them  not  to  die  like  curs,  but  to  meet  bravely 
the  fate  which  he  admitted  they  all  deserved. 
Several  of  the  men  in  the  mob  came  forward 
and  shook  hands  with  him,  and  with  no  appeal 
to  man  or  his  Maker,  he  was  swung  into  the 
great  Unknown  at  the  end  of  a  rope.  Such 
nerve  is  seldom  met  in  life,  and  those  that  are 
supposed  to  have  it,  when  they  come  face  to 
face  with  their  end,  are  found  lacking  that 
quality.  It  is  a  common  anomaly  in  life  that 
the  bad  man  with  his  record  often  shows  the 
white  feather  when  he  meets  his  fate  at  the 
hands  of  an  outraged  community." 

We  all  took  a  friendly  liking  to  the  cattle- 
buyer.  He  was  an  interesting  talker.  While 
he  was  a  city  man,  he  mixed  with  us  with  a 
certain  freedom  and  abandon  that  was  easy 
and  natural.  We  all  regretted  it  the  next  day 
when  he  and  the  old  man  left  us. 

"  I  Ve  heard  my  father  tell  about  those 
Cherokees,"  said  Port  Cole.  "They  used  to 
live  in  Georgia,  those  Indians.  They  must 
have  been  honest  people,  for  my  father  told 
us  boys  at  home,  that  once  in  the  old  State 
while  the  Cherokees  lived  there,  his  father 
hired  one  of  their  tribe  to  guide  him  over  the 
mountains.  There  was  a  pass  through  the 
mountains  that  was  used  and  known  only  to 


10  CATTLE  BRANDS 

these  Indians.  It  would  take  six  weeks  to  go 
and  come,  and  to  attend  to  the  business  in 
view.  My  father  was  a  small  boy  at  the  time, 
and  says  that  his  father  hired  the  guide  for  the 
entire  trip  for  forty  dollars  in  gold.  One  con 
dition  was  that  the  money  was  to  be  paid  in 
advance.  The  morning  was  set  for  the  start, 
and  my  grandfather  took  my  father  along  on 
the  trip. 

"  Before  starting  from  the  Indian's  cabin  my 
grandfather  took  out  his  purse  and  paid  the 
Indian  four  ten-dollar  gold  pieces.  The  Indian 
walked  over  to  the  corner  of  the  cabin,  and  in 
the  presence  of  other  Indians  laid  this  gold, 
in  plain  sight  of  all,  on  the  end  of  a  log  that 
projected  where  they  cross  outside,  and  got  on 
his  horse  to  be  gone  six  weeks.  They  made 
the  trip  on  time,  and  my  father  said  his  first 
thought,  on  their  return  to  the  Indian  village, 
was  to  see  if  the  money  was  untouched.  It  was. 
You  could  n't  risk  white  folks  that  way." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know,"  said  one  of  the  boys. 
"  Suppose  you  save  your  wages  this  summer 
and  try  it  next  year  when  we  start  up  the  trail, 
just  to  see  how  it  will  work." 

"  Well,  if  it 's  just  the  same  to  you,"  replied 
Port,  lighting  a  fresh  cigar,  "  I  '11  not  try,  for 
I  'm  well  enough  satisfied  as  to  how  it  would 
turn  out,  without  testing  it." 


DRIFTING   NORTH  11 

"  Is  n't  it  strange,"  said  Bat  Shaw,  "  that  if 
you  trust  a  man  or  put  confidence  in  him  he 
won't  betray  you.  Now,  that  marshal  —  one 
month  he  was  guarding  money  at  the  risk  of 
his  life,  and  the  next  was  losing  his  life  trying 
to  rob  some  one.  I  remember  a  similar  case 
down  on  the  Rio  Grande.  It  was  during  the 
boom  in  sheep  a  few  years  ago,  when  every 
one  got  crazy  over  sheep. 

"  A  couple  of  Americans  came  down  on  the 
river  to  buy  sheep.  They  brought  their  money 
with  them.  It  was  before  the  time  of  any  rail 
roads.  The  man  they  deposited  their  money 
with  had  lived  amongst  these  Mexicans  till  he 
had  forgotten  where  he  did  belong,  though 
he  was  a  Yankee.  These  sheep-buyers  asked 
their  banker  to  get  them  a  man  who  spoke 
Spanish  and  knew  the  country,  as  a  guide. 
The  banker  sent  and  got  a  man  that  he  could 
trust.  He  was  a  swarthy-looking  native  whose 
appearance  would  not  recommend  him  any 
where.  He  was  accepted,  and  they  set  out  to 
be  gone  over  a  month. 

"  They  bought  a  band  of  sheep,  and  it  was 
necessary  to  pay  for  them  at  a  point  some  forty 
miles  furtner  up  the  river.  There  had  been 
some  robbing  along  the  river,  and  these  men 
felt  uneasy  about  carrying  the  money  to  this 
place  to  pay  for  the  sheep.  The  banker  came 


12  CATTLE   BRANDS 

to  the  rescue  by  advising  them  to  send  the 
money  by  the  Mexican,  who  could  take  it 
through  in  a  single  night.  No  one  would  ever 
suspect  him  of  ever  having  a  dollar  on  his 
person.  It  looked  risky,  but  the  banker  who 
knew  the  nature  of  the  native  urged  it  as  the 
better  way,  assuring  them  that  the  Mexican 
was  perfectly  trustworthy.  The  peon  was 
brought  in,  the  situation  was  explained  to  him, 
and  he  was  ordered  to  be  in  readiness  at  night 
fall  to  start  on  his  errand. 

"He  carried  the  money  over  forty  miles 
that  night,  and  delivered  it  safely  in  the  morn 
ing  to  the  proper  parties.  This  act  of  his 
aroused  the  admiration  of  these  sheep  men 
beyond  a  point  of  safety.  They  paid  for  the 
sheep,  were  gone  for  a  few  months,  sold  out 
their  flocks  to  good  advantage,  and  came  back 
to  buy  more.  This  second  time  they  did  not 
take  the  precaution  to  have  the  banker  hire 
the  man,  but  did  so  themselves,  intending  to 
deposit  their  money  with  a  different  house 
farther  up  the  river.  They  confided  to  him 
that  they  had  quite  a  sum  of  money  with 
them,  and  that  they  would  deposit  it  with  the 
same  merchant  to  whom  he  had  carried  the 
money  before.  The  first  night  they  camped 
the  Mexican  murdered  them  both,  took  the 
money,  and  crossed  into  Mexico.  He  hid  their 


DRIFTING   NORTH  13 

bodies,  and  it  was  months  before  they  were 
missed,  and  a  year  before  their  bones  were 
found.  He  had  plenty  of  time  to  go  to  the 
ends  of  the  earth  before  his  crime  would  be 
discovered. 

"  Now  that  Mexican  would  never  think 
of  betraying  the  banker,  his  old  friend  and 
patron,  his  muy  bueno  amigo.  There  were 
obligations  that  he  could  not  think  of  breaking 
with  the  banker;  but  these  fool  sheep  men, 
supposing  it  was  simple  honesty,  paid  the 
penalty  of  their  confidence  with  their  lives. 
Now,  when  he  rode  over  this  same  road 
alone,  a  few  months  before,  with  over  five 
thousand  dollars  in  money  belonging  to  these 
same  men,  all  he  would  need  to  have  done 
was  to  ride  across  the  river.  When  there 
were  no  obligations  binding,  he  was  willing  to 
add  murder  to  robbery.  Some  folks  say  that 
Mexicans  are  good  people;  it  is  the  climate, 
possibly,  but  they  can  always  be  depended  on 
to  assay  high  in  treachery." 

"  What  guard  are  you  going  to  put  me  on 
to-night?"  inquired  old  man  Carter  of  Baugh. 

"  This  outfit,"  said  Baugh,  in  reply,  "  don't 
allow  any  tenderfoot  around  the  cattle,  —  at 
night,  at  least.  You  'd  better  play  you  're  com 
pany;  somebody  that's  come.  If  you're  so 
very  anxious  to  do  something,  the  cook  may 


14  CATTLE   BRANDS 

let  you  rustle  wood  or  carry  water.  We  '11  fix 
you  up  a  bed  after  a  little,  and  see  that  you 
get  into  it  where  you  can  sleep  and  be  harm 
less. 

"Colonel,"  added  Baugh,  "why  is  it  that 
you  never  tell  that  experience  you  had  once 
amongst  the  greasers  ?  " 

"Well,  there  was  nothing  funny  in  it  to 
me,"  said  Carter,  "  and  they  say  I  never  tell 
it  twice  alike." 

"Why,  certainly,  tell  us,"  said  the  cattle- 
buyer.  "  I  've  never  heard  it.  Don't  throw  off 
to-night." 

"  It  was  a  good  many  years  ago,"  began  old 
man  George,  "but  the  incident  is  very  clear 
in  my  mind.  I  was  working  for  a  month's 
wages  then  myself.  We  were  driving  cattle 
out  of  Mexico.  The  people  I  was  working 
for  contracted  for  a  herd  down  in  Chihuahua, 
about  four  hundred  miles  south  of  El  Paso. 
We  sent  in  our  own  outfit,  wagon,  horses,  and 
men,  two  weeks  before.  I  was  kept  behind  to 
take  in  the  funds  to  pay  for  the  cattle.  The 
day  before  I  started,  my  people  drew  out  of 
the  bank  twenty-eight  thousand  dollars,  mostly 
large  bills.  They  wired  ahead  and  engaged 
a  rig  to  take  me  from  the  station  where  I 
left  the  railroad  to  the  ranch,  something  like 
ninety  miles. 


DRIFTING  NORTH  15 

"  I  remember  I  bought  a  new  mole-skin 
suit,  which  was  very  popular  about  then.  I 
had  nothing  but  a  small  hand-bag,  and  it  con 
tained  only  a  six-shooter.  I  bought  a  book  to 
read  on  the  train  and  on  the  road  out,  called 
'Other  People's  Money.'  The  title  caught 
my  fancy,  and  it  was  very  interesting.  It  was 
written  by  a  Frenchman,  —  full  of  love  and 
thrilling  situations.  I  had  the  money  belted 
on  me  securely,  and  started  out  with  flying 
colors.  The  railroad  runs  through  a  dreary 
country,  not  worth  a  second  look,  so  I  read 
my  new  book.  When  I  arrived  at  the  station 
I  found  the  conveyance  awaiting  me.  The 
plan  was  to  drive  halfway,  and  stay  over  night 
at  a  certain  hacienda. 

"The  driver  insisted  on  starting  at  once, 
telling  me  that  we  could  reach  the  Hacienda 
Grande  by  ten  o'clock  that  night,  which  would 
be  half  my  journey.  We  had  a  double-seated 
buckboard  and  covered  the  country  rapidly. 
There  were  two  Mexicans  on  the  front  seat, 
while  I  had  the  rear  one  all  to  myself.  Once 
on  the  road  I  interested  myself  in  <  Other  Peo 
ple's  Money,'  almost  forgetful  of  the  fact  that 
at  that  very  time  I  had  enough  of  other  peo 
ple's  money  on  my  person  to  set  all  the  ban 
dits  in  Mexico  on  my  trail.  There  was  nothing 
of  incident  that  evening,  until  an  hour  before 


i6  CATTLE   BRANDS 

sundown.  We  reached  a  small  ranchito, 
where  we  spent  an  hour  changing  horses,  had 
coffee  and  a  rather  light  lunch. 

"Before  leaving  I  noticed  a  Pinto  horse 
hitched  to  a  tree  some  distance  in  the  rear  of 
the  house,  and  as  we  were  expecting  to  buy 
a  number  of  horses,  I  walked  back  and  looked 
this  one  carefully  over.  He  was  very  pecu 
liarly  color-marked  in  the  mane.  I  inquired 
for  his  owner,  but  they  told  me  that  he  was 
not  about  at  present.  It  was  growing  dusk 
when  we  started  out  again.  The  evening  was 
warm  and  sultry  and  threatening  rain.  We 
had  been  on  our  way  about  an  hour  when  I 
realized  we  had  left  the  main  road  and  were 
bumping  along  on  a  by-road.  I  asked  the 
driver  his  reason  for  this,  and  he  explained 
that  it  was  a  cut-off,  and  that  by  taking  it  we 
would  save  three  miles  and  half  an  hour's  time. 
As  a  further  reason  he  expressed  his  opinion 
that  we  would  have  rain  that  night,  and  that 
he  was  anxious  to  reach  the  hacienda  in  good 
time.  I  encouraged  him  to  drive  faster,  which 
he  did.  Within  another  hour  I  noticed  we 
were  going  down  a  dry  arroyo,  with  mesquite 
brush  on  both  sides  of  the  road,  which  was 
little  better  than  a  trail.  My  suspicions  were 
never  aroused  sufficiently  to  open  the  little 
hand-bag  and  belt  on  the  six-shooter.  I  was 


DRIFTING  NORTH  17 

dreaming  along  when  we  came  to  a  sudden 
stop  before  what  seemed  a  deserted  jacal.  The 
Mexicans  mumbled  something  to  each  other 
over  some  disappointment,  when  the  driver 
said  to  me :  — 

" '  Here  's  where  we  stay  all  night.  This  is 
the  hacienda.'  They  both  got  out  and  insisted 
on  my  getting  out,  but  I  refused  to  do  so.  I 
reached  down  and  picked  up  my  little  grip  and 
was  in  the  act  of  opening  it,  when  one  of  them 
grabbed  my  arm  and  jerked  me  out  of  the  seat 
to  the  ground.  I  realized  then  for  the  first 
time  that  I  was  in  for  it  in  earnest.  I  never 
knew  before  that  I  could  put  up  such  a  fine 
defense,  for  inside  a  minute  I  had  them  both 
blinded  in  their  own  blood.  I  gathered  up 
rocks  and  had  them  flying  when  I  heard  a 
clatter  of  hoofs  coming  down  the  arroyo  like 
a  squadron  of  cavalry.  They  were  so  close  on 
to  me  that  I  took  to  the  brush,  without  hat, 
coat,  or  pistol.  Men  that  pack  a  gun  all  their 
lives  never  have  it  when  they  need  it;  that 
was  exactly  my  fix.  Darkness  was  in  my  favor, 
but  I  had  no  more  idea  where  I  was  or  which 
way  I  was  going  than  a  baby.  One  thing  sure, 
I  was  trying  to  get  away  from  there  as  fast  as 
I  could.  The  night  was  terribly  dark,  and  about 
ten  o'clock  it  began  to  rain  a  deluge.  I  kept 
going  all  night,  but  must  have  been  circling. 


i8  CATTLE  BRANDS 

"Towards  morning  I  came  to  an  arroyo 
which  was  running  full  of  water.  My  idea 
was  to  get  that  between  me  and  the  scene  of 
my  trouble,  so  I  took  off  my  boots  to  wade  it. 
When  about  one  third  way  across,  I  either 
stepped  off  a  bluff  bank  or  into  a  well,  for  I 
went  under  and  dropped  the  boots.  When 
I  came  to  the  surface  I  made  a  few  strokes 
swimming  and  landed  in  a  clump  of  mesquite 
brush,  to  which  I  clung,  got  on  my  feet,  and 
waded  out  to  the  opposite  bank  more  scared 
than  hurt.  Right  there  I  lay  until  daybreak. 

"  The  thing  that  I  remember  best  now  was 
the  peculiar  odor  of  the  wet  mole-skin.  If 
there  had  been  a  strolling  artist  about  look 
ing  for  a  picture  of  Despair,  I  certainly  would 
have  filled  the  bill.  The  sleeves  were  torn 
out  of  my  shirt,  and  my  face  and  arms  were 
scratched  and  bleeding  from  the  thorns  of  the 
mesquite.  No  one  who  could  have  seen  me 
then  would  ever  have  dreamed  that  I  was  a 
walking  depositary  of  '  Other  People's  Money.' 
When  it  got  good  daylight  I  started  out  and 
kept  the  shelter  of  the  brush  to  hide  me.  After 
nearly  an  hour's  travel,  I  came  out  on  a  divide, 
and  about  a  mile  off  I  saw  what  looked  like  a 
jacal.  Directly  I  noticed  a  smoke  arise,  and  I 
knew  then  it  was  a  habitation.  My  appearance 
was  not  what  I  desired,  but  I  approached  it. 


DRIFTING  NORTH  19 

"  In  answer  to  my  knock  at  the  door  a  wo 
man  opened  it  about  two  inches  and  seemed 
to  be  more  interested  in  examination  of  my 
anatomy  than  in  listening  to  my  troubles. 
After  I  had  made  an  earnest  sincere  talk  she 
asked  me,  'No  estay  loco  tu  ?'  I  assured  her 
that  I  was  perfectly  sane,  and  that  all  I  needed 
was  food  and  clothing,  for  which  I  would  pay 
her  well.  It  must  have  been  my  appearance 
that  aroused  her  sympathy,  for  she  admitted 
me  and  fed  me. 

"The  woman  had  a  little  girl  of  probably 
ten  years  of  age.  This  little  girl  brought  me 
water  to  wash  myself,  while  the  mother  pre 
pared  me  something  to  eat.  I  was  so  anxious 
to  pay  these  people  that  I  found  a  five-dollar 
gold  piece  in  one  of  my  pockets  and  gave  it 
to  the  little  girl,  who  in  turn  gave  it  to  her 
mother.  While  I  was  drinking  the  coffee  and 
eating  my  breakfast,  the  woman  saw  me  look 
ing  at  a  picture  of  the  Virgin  Mary  which  was 
hanging  on  the  adobe  wall  opposite  me.  She 
asked  me  if  I  was  a  Catholic,  which  I  admit 
ted.  Then  she  brought  out  a  shirt  and  offered 
it  to  me. 

"  Suddenly  the  barking  of  a  dog  attracted 
her  to  the  door.  She  returned  breathless,  and 
said  in  good  Spanish:  'For  God's  sake,  run! 
Fly!  Don't  let  my  husband  and  brother  catch 


20  CATTLE  BRANDS 

you  here,  for  they  are  coming  home.'  She 
thrust  the  shirt  into  my  hand  and  pointed  out 
the  direction  in  which  I  should  go.  From  a 
concealed  point  of  the  brush  I  saw  two  men 
ride  up  to  the  jacal  and  dismount.  One  of 
them  was  riding  the  Pinto  horse  I  had  seen 
the  day  before. 

"I  kept  the  brush  for  an  hour  or  so,  and 
finally  came  out  on  the  mesa.  Here  I  found 
a  flock  of  sheep  and  a  pastore.  From  this 
shepherd  I  learned  that  I  was  about  ten  miles 
from  the  main  road.  He  took  the  sandals  from 
his  own  feet  and  fastened  them  on  mine,  gave 
me  directions,  and  about  night  I  reached  the 
hacienda,  where  I  was  kindly  received  and 
cared  for.  This  ranchero  sent  after  officers 
and  had  the  country  scoured  for  the  robbers. 
I  was  detained  nearly  a  week,  to  see  if  I  could 
identify  my  drivers,  without  result.  They 
even  brought  in  the  owner  of  the  Pinto  horse, 
and  no  doubt  husband  of  the  woman  who 
saved  my  life. 

"After  a  week's  time  I  joined  our  own  out 
fit,  and  I  never  heard  a  language  that  sounded 
so  sweet  as  the  English  of  my  own  tongue.  I 
would  have  gone  back  and  testified  against 
the  owner  of  the  spotted  horse  if  it  had  n't 
been  for  a  woman  and  a  little  girl  who  de 
pended  on  him,  robber  that  he  was." 


DRIFTING  NORTH  21 

"  Now,  girls,"  said  Baugh,  addressing  Car 
ter  and  the  stranger,  "  I  've  made  you  a  bed 
out  of  the  wagon-sheet,  and  rustled  a  few 
blankets  from  the  boys.  You  '11  find  the  bed 
under  the  wagon-tongue,  and  we  Ve  stretched 
a  fly  over  it  to  keep  the  dew  ofT  you,  besides 
adding  privacy  to  your  apartments.  So  you 
can  turn  in  when  you  run  out  of  stories  or 
get  sleepy." 

"  Have  n't  you  got  one  for  us  ?  "  inquired 
the  cattle-buyer  of  Baugh.  "  This  is  no  time 
to  throw  off,  or  refuse  to  be  sociable." 

"Well,  now,  that  bank  robbery  that  you 
were  telling  the  boys  about,"  said  Baugh,  as 
he  bit  the  tip  from  a  fresh  cigar,  "reminds 
me  of  a  hold-up  that  I  was  in  up  in  the  San 
Juan  mining  country  in  Colorado.  We  had 
driven  into  that  mining  camp  a  small  bunch 
of  beef  and  had  sold  them  to  fine  advantage. 
The  outfit  had  gone  back,  and  I  remained 
behind  to  collect  for  the  cattle,  expecting  to 
take  the  stage  and  overtake  the  outfit  down 
on  the  river.  I  had  neglected  to  book  my  pas 
sage  in  advance,  so  when  the  stage  was  ready 
to  start  I  had  to  content  myself  with  a  seat  on 
top.  I  don't  remember  the  amount  of  money 
I  had.  It  was  the  proceeds  of  something  like 
one  hundred  and  fifty  beeves,  in  a  small  bag 
along  of  some  old  clothes.  There  was  n't  a 


22  CATTLE  BRANDS 

cent  of  it  mine,  still  I  was  supposed  to  look 
after  it. 

"The  driver  answered  to  the  name  of  South- 
Paw,  drove  six  horses,  and  we  had  a  jolly 
crowd  on  top.  Near  midnight  we  were  swing 
ing  along,  and  as  we  rounded  a  turn  in  the 
road,  we  noticed  a  flickering  light  ahead  some 
distance  which  looked  like  the  embers  of  a 
camp-fire.  As  we  came  nearly  opposite  the 
light,  the  leaders  shied  at  some  object  in  the 
road  in  front  of  them.  South-Paw  uncurled 
his  whip,  and  was  in  the  act  of  pouring  the 
leather  into  them,  when  that  light  was  uncov 
ered  as  big  as  the  head-light  of  an  engine. 
An  empty  five-gallon  oil-can  had  been  cut  in 
half  and  used  as  a  reflector,  throwing  full  light 
into  the  road  sufficient  to  cover  the  entire 
coach.  Then  came  a  round  of  orders  which 
meant  business.  '  Shoot  them  leaders  if  they 
cross  that  obstruction ! '  <  Kill  any  one  that 
gets  off  on  the  opposite  side ! '  '  Driver,  move 
up  a  few  feet  farther!'  'A  few  feet  farther, 
please.'  ' That '11  do;  thank  you,  sir.'  'Now, 
every  son-of-a-horse-thief,  get  out  on  this  side 
of  the  coach,  please,  and  be  quick  about  it! ' 

"  The  man  giving  these  orders  stood  a  few 
feet  behind  the  lamp  and  out  of  sight,  but  the 
muzzle  of  a  Winchester  was  plainly  visible 
and  seemed  to  cover  every  man  on  the  stage.  It 


DRIFTING  NORTH  23 

is  needless  to  say  that  we  obeyed,  got  down  in 
the  full  glare  of  the  light,  and  lined  up  with  our 
backs  to  the  robber,  hands  in  the  air.  There 
was  a  heavily  veiled  woman  on  the  stage, 
whom  he  begged  to  hold  the  light  for  him, 
assuring  her  that  he  never  robbed  a  woman. 
This  veiled  person  disappeared  at  the  time, 
and  was  supposed  to  have  been  a  confederate. 
When  the  light  was  held  for  him,  he  drew  a 
black  cap  over  each  one  of  us,  searching  every 
body  for  weapons.  Then  he  proceeded  to  rob 
us,  and  at  last  went  through  the  mail.  It  took 
him  over  an  hour  to  do  the  job;  he  seemed  in 
no  hurry. 

"It  was  not  known  what  he  got  out  of  the 
mail,  but  the  passengers  yielded  about  nine 
hundred  revenue  to  him,  while  there  was  three 
times  that  amount  on  top  the  coach  in  my  grip, 
wrapped  in  a  dirty  flannel  shirt.  When  he  dis 
appeared  we  were  the  cheapest  lot  of  men  im 
aginable.  It  was  amusing  to  hear  the  excuses, 
threats,  and  the  like;  but  the  fact  remained  the 
same,  that  a  dozen  of  us  had  been  robbed  by 
a  lone  highwayman.  I  felt  good  over  it,  as  the 
money  in  the  grip  had  been  overlooked. 

"  Well,  we  cleared  out  the  obstruction  in  the 
road,  and  got  aboard  the  coach  once  more. 
About  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  arrived 
at  our  destination,  only  two  hours  late.  In  the 


24  CATTLE  BRANDS 

hotel  office  where  the  stage  stopped  was  the 
very  man  who  had  robbed  us.  He  had  got  in 
an  hour  ahead  of  us,  and  was  a  very  much 
interested  listener  to  the  incident  as  retold. 
There  was  an  early  train  out  of  town  that  morn 
ing,  and  at  a  place  where  they  stopped  for 
breakfast  he  sat  at  the  table  with  several  drum 
mers  who  were  in  the  hold-up,  a  most  attentive 
listener. 

"  He  was  captured  the  same  day.  He  had 
hired  a  horse  out  of  a  livery  stable  the  day  be 
fore,  to  ride  out  to  look  at  a  ranch  he  thought 
of  buying.  The  liveryman  noticed  that  he 
limped  slightly.  He  had  collided  with  lead  in 
Texas,  as  was  learned  afterward.  The  horse 
which  had  been  hired  to  the  ranch-buyer  of 
the  day  before  was  returned  to  the  corral  of 
the  livery  barn  at  an  unknown  hour  during  the 
night,  and  suspicion  settled  on  the  lame  man. 
When  he  got  off  the  train  at  Pueblo,  he 
walked  into  the  arms  of  officers.  The  limp 
had  marked  him  clearly. 

"  In  a  grip  which  he  carried  were  a  number 
of  sacks,  which  he  supposed  contained  gold 
dust,  but  held  only  taulk  on  its  way  to  assayers 
in  Denver.  These  he  had  gotten  out  of  the 
express  the  night  before,  supposing  they  were 
valuable.  .  We  were  all  detained  as  witnesses. 
He  was  tried  for  robbing  the  mails,  and  was 


DRIFTING  NORTH  25 

the  coolest  man  in  the  court  room.  He  was  a 
tall,  awkward-looking  fellow,  light  complex- 
ioned,  with  a  mild  blue  eye.  His  voice,  when 
not  disguised,  would  mark  him  amongst  a 
thousand  men.  It  was  peculiarly  mild  and 
soft,  and  would  lure  a  babe  from  its  mother's 
arms. 

"  At  the  trial  he  never  tried  to  hide  kis  past, 
and  you  could  n't  help  liking  the  fellow  for  his 
frank  answers. 

" '  Were  you  ever  charged  with  any  crime 
before?  '  asked  the  prosecution.  *  If  so,  when 
and  where  ?  ' 

" '  Yes,'  said  the  prisoner,  *  in  Texas,  for  rob 
bing  the  mails  in  '77.' 

" '  What  was  the  result?  '  continued  the  pro 
secution. 

"  <  They  sent  me  over  the  road  for  ninety- 
nine  years.' 

"  '  Then  how  does  it  come  that  you  are  at 
liberty?'  quizzed  the  attorney. 

" '  Well,  you  see  the  President  of  the  United 
States  at  that  time  was  a  warm  personal  friend 
of  mine,  though  we  had  drifted  apart  somewhat. 
When  he  learned  that  the  Federal  authorities 
had  interfered  with  my  liberties,  he  pardoned 
me  out  instantly.' 

" ' What  did  you  do  then? '  asked  the  attor 
ney. 


26  CATTLE  BRANDS 

"  '  Well,  I  went  back  to  Texas,  and  was  at 
tending  to  my  own  business,  when  I  got  into 
a  little  trouble  and  had  to  kill  a  man.  Lawyers 
down  there  won't  do  anything  for  you  with 
out  you  have  money,  and  as  I  did  n't  have  any 
for  them,  I  came  up  to  this  country  to  try  and 
make  an  honest  dollar.' 

"  He  went  over  the  road  a  second  time,  and 
was  n't  in  the  Federal  prison  a  year  before  he 
was  released  through  influence.  Prison  walls 
were  never  made  to  hold  as  cool  a  rascal  as 
he  was.  Have  you  a  match  ?  " 

It  was  an  ideal  night.  Millions  of  stars 
flecked  the  sky  overhead.  No  one  seemed 
willing  to  sleep.  We  had  heard  the  evening 
gun  and  the  trumpets  sounding  tattoo  over  at 
the  fort,  but  their  warnings  of  the  closing  day 
were  not  for  us.  The  guards  changed,  the 
cattle  sleeping  like  babes  in  a  trundle-bed. 
Finally  one  by  one  the  boys  sought  their 
blankets,  while  sleep  and  night  wrapped  these 
children  of  the  plains  in  her  arms. 


II 

SEIGERMAN'S  PER   CENT 

TOWARDS  the  wind-up  of  the  Chero 
kee  Strip  Cattle  Association  it  be 
came  hard  to  ride  a  chuck-line  in 
winter.  Some  of  the  cattle  companies  on  the 
range,  whose  headquarters  were  far  removed 
from  the  scene  of  active  operations,  saw  fit  to 
give  orders  that  the  common  custom  of  feed 
ing  all  comers  and  letting  them  wear  their  own 
welcome  out  must  be  stopped.  This  was  hard 
on  those  that  kept  open  house  the  year  round. 
There  was  always  a  surplus  of  men  on  the 
range  in  the  winter.  Sometimes  there  might  be 
ten  men  at  a  camp,  and  only  two  on  the  pay 
roll.  These  extra  men  were  called  "chuck- 
line  riders."  Probably  eight  months  in  the 
year  they  all  had  employment.  At  many 
camps  they  were  welcome,  as  they  would  turn 
to  and  help  do  anything  that  was  wanted  done. 
After  a  hard  freeze  it  would  be  necessary  to 
cut  the  ice,  so  that  the  cattle  could  water.  A 
reasonable  number  of  guests  were  no  draw 
back  at  a  time  like  this,  as  the  chuck-line  men 
would  be  the  most  active  in  opening  the  ice  with 


28  CATTLE   BRANDS 

axes.  The  cattle  belonging  to  those  who  kept 
open  house  never  got  so  far  away  that  some 
one  did  n't  recognize  the  brand  and  turn  them 
back  towards  their  own  pasture.  It  was  pos 
sible  to  cast  bread  upon  the  waters,  even  on 
the  range. 

The  new  order  of  things  was  received  with 
many  protests.  Late  in  the  fall  three  worthies 
of  the  range  formed  a  combine,  and  laid  care 
ful  plans  of  action,  in  case  they  should  get  let 
out  of  a  winter's  job.  "  I  've  been  on  the  range 
a  good  while,"  said  Baugh,  the  leader  of  this 
trio,  "  but  hereafter  I  '11  not  ride  my  horses 
down,  turning  back  the  brand  of  any  hide 
bound  cattle  company." 

"  That  won't  save  you  from  getting  hit  with 
a  cheque  for  your  time  when  the  snow  begins 
to  drift,"  commented  Stubb. 

u  When  we  make  our  grand  tour  of  the  State 
this  winter,"  remarked  Arab  Ab,  "  we  '11  get 
that  cheque  of  Baugh's  cashed,  together  with 
our  own.  One  thing  sure,  we  won't  fret  about 
it;  still  we  might  think  that  riding  a  chuck- 
line  would  beat  footing  it  in  a  granger  country, 
broke." 

"Oh,  we  won't  go  broke,"  said  Baugh,  who 
was  the  Deader  in  the  idea  that  they  would  go 
to  Kansas  for  the  winter,  and  come  back  in 
the  spring  when  men  are  wanted. 


SEIGERMAN'S   PER  CENT         29 

So  when  the  beef  season  had  ended,  the 
calves  had  all  been  branded  up  and  everything 
made  snug  for  the  winter,  the  foreman  said  to 
the  boys  at  breakfast  one  morning,  "Well, 
lads,  I  've  kept  you  on  the  pay-roll  as  long  as 
there  has  been  anything  to  do,  but  this  morn 
ing  I  '11  have  to  give  you  your  time.  These 
recent  orders  of  mine  are  sweeping,  for  they 
cut  me  down  to  one  man,  and  we  are  to  do  our 
own  cooking.  I  'm  sorry  that  any  of  you  that 
care  to  can't  spend  the  winter  with  us.  It 's 
there  that  my  orders  are  very  distasteful  to 
me,  for  I  know  what  it  is  to  ride  a  chuck-line 
myself.  You  all  know  that  it's  no  waste  of 
affection  by  this  company  that  keeps  even  two 
of  us  on  the  pay-roll." 

While  the  foreman  was  looking  up  accounts 
and  making  out  the  time  of  each,  Baugh  asked 
him,  "  When  is  the  wagon  going  in  after  the 
winter's  supplies  ?  " 

"  In  a  day  or  two,"  answered  the  foreman. 
"Why?" 

"  Why,  Stubby,  Arab,  and  myself  want  to 
leave  our  saddles  and  private  horses  here  with 
you  until  spring.  We  're  going  up  in  the  State 
for  the  winter,  and  will  wait  and  go  in  with  the 
wagon." 

"  That  will  be  all  right,"  said  the  foreman. 
"  You  '11  find  things  right  side  up  when  you 


30  CATTLE  BRANDS 

come  after  them,  and  a  job  if  I  can  give  it  to 
you." 

"Don't  you  think  it's  poor  policy,"  asked 
Stubb  of  the  foreman,  as  the  latter  handed  him 
his  time,  "to  refuse  the  men  a  roof  and  the 
bite  they  eat  in  winter  ?  " 

"  You  may  ask  that  question  at  headquarters, 
when  you  get  your  time  cheque  cashed.  I  've 
learned  not  to  think  contrary  to  my  employ 
ers;  not  in  the  mouth  of  winter,  anyhow." 

"  Oh,  we  don't  care,"  said  Baugh  ;  "  we  're 
going  to  take  in  the  State  for  a  change  of  scen 
ery.  We  '11  have  a  good  time  and  plenty  of 
fun  on  the  side." 

The  first  snow-squall  of  the  season  came 
that  night,  and  the  wagon  could  not  go  in  for 
several  days.  When  the  weather  moderated 
the  three  bade  the  foreman  a  hearty  good-by 
and  boarded  the  wagon  for  town,  forty  miles 
away.  This  little  village  was  a  supply  point 
for  the  range  country  to  the  south,  and  lacked 
that  diversity  of  entertainment  that  the  trio 
desired.  So  to  a  larger  town  westward,  a 
county  seat,  they  hastened  by  rail.  This  ham 
let  they  took  in  by  sections.  There  were  the 
games  running  to  suit  their  tastes,  the  variety 
theatre  with  its  painted  girls,  and  handbills 
announced  that  on  the  24th  of  December  and 
Christmas  Day  there  would  be  horse  races. 


SEIGERMAN'S   PER   CENT         31 

To  do  justice  to  all  this  melted  their  money 
fast. 

Their  gay  round  of  pleasure  had  no  check 
until  the  last  day  of  the  races.  Heretofore 
they  had  held  their  own  in  the  games,  and 
the  first  day  of  the  races  they  had  even  picked 
several  winners.  But  grief  was  in  store  for 
Baugh  the  leader,  Baugh  the  brains  of  the  trio. 
He  had  named  the  winners  so  easily  the  day  be 
fore,  that  now  his  confidence  knew  no  bounds. 
His  opinion  was  supreme  on  a  running  horse, 
though  he  cautioned  the  others  not  to  risk 
their  judgment  —  in  fact,  they  had  better  fol 
low  him.  "  I  'm  going  to  back  that  sorrel 
gelding,  that  won  yesterday,  in  the  free-for-all 
to-day,"  said  he  to  Stubb  and  Arab,  "and  if 
you  boys  go  in  with  me,  we  '11  make  a  killing." 

"  You  can  lose  your  money  on  a  horse 
race  too  quick  to  suit  me,"  replied  Stubb.  "  I 
prefer  to  stick  to  poker;  but  you  go  ahead  and 
win  all  you  can,  for  spring  is  a  long  ways  off 
yet." 

"  My  observation  of  you  as  a  poker  player, 
my  dear  Stubby,  is  that  you  generally  play  the 
first  hand  to  win  and  all  the  rest  to  get  even." 

They  used  up  considerable  time  scoring  for 
the  free-for-all  running  race  Christmas  Day, 
during  which  delay  Baugh  not  only  got  all  his 
money  bet,  but  his  watch  and  a  new  overcoat. 


32  CATTLE   BRANDS 

The  race  went  off  with  the  usual  dash,  when 
there  were  no  more  bets  in  sight ;  and  when  it 
ended  Baugh  buttoned  up  the  top  button  of  his 
coat,  pulled  his  hat  down  over  his  eyes,  and 
walke'd  back  from  the  race  track  in  a  medita 
tive  state  of  mind,  to  meet  Stubb  and  Arab  Ab. 

"When  I  gamble  and  lose  I  never  howl," 
said  Baugh  to  his  friends,  "but  I  do  love  a 
run  for  my  money,  though  I  did  n't  have  any 
more  chance  to-day  than  a  rabbit.  I  '11  take 
my  hat  off  to  the  man  that  got  it,  however,  and 
charge  it  up  to  my  tuition  account." 

"You  big  chump,  you!  if  you  had  n't  bet 
your  overcoat  it  would  n't  be  so  bad.  What 
possessed  you  to  bet  it?"  asked  Stubb,  half 
reprovingly. 

"  Oh,  hell,  I  '11  not  need  it.  It 's  not  going 
to  be  a  very  cold  winter,  nohow,"  replied 
Baugh,  as  he  threw  up  one  eye  toward  the 
warm  sun.  "  We  need  exercise.  Let 's  walk 
back  to  town.  Now,  this  is  a  little  unex 
pected,  but  what  have  I  got  you  boys  for,  if 
you  can't  help  a  friend  in  trouble.  There  's 
one  good  thing — I  've  got  my  board  paid  three 
weeks  in  advance;  paid  it  this  morning  out  of 
yesterday's  winnings.  Lucky,  ain't  I  ?  " 

"  Yes,  you  're  powerful  lucky.  You  're  alive, 
ain't  you?"  said  Stubb,  rubbing  salt  into  his 
wounds. 


SEIGERMAN'S   PER   CENT         33 

"  Now,  my  dear  Stubby,  don't  get  gay  with 
the  leading  lady;  you  may  get  in  a  bad  box 
some  day  and  need  me." 

This  turn  of  affairs  was  looked  upon  by 
Stubb  and  Arab  as  quite  a  joke  on  their 
leader.  But  it  was  no  warning  to  them,  and 
they  continued  to  play  their  favorite  games, 
Stubb  at  poker,  while  Arab  gave  his  attention 
to  monte.  Things  ran  along  for  a  few  weeks 
in  this  manner,  Baugh  never  wanting  for  a 
dollar  or  the  necessary  liquids  that  cheer  the 
despondent.  Finally  they  were  forced  to  take 
an  inventory  of  their  cash  and  similar  assets. 
The  result  was  suggestive  that  they  would 
have  to  return  to  the  chuck-line,  or  unearth 
some  other  resource.  The  condition  of  their 
finances  lacked  little  of  the  red-ink  line. 

Baugh,  who  had  been  silent  during  this  pow 
wow,  finally  said,  "  My  board  will  have  to  be 
provided  for  in  a  few  days,  but  I  have  an  idea, 
struck  it  to-day,  and  if  she  works,  we  '11  pull 
through  to  grass  like  four  time  winners." 

"What  is  it?"  asked  the  other  two,  in  a 
chorus. 

"  There  's  a  little  German  on  a  back  street 
here,  who  owns  a  bar-room  with  a  hotel  at 
tached.  He  has  a  mania  to  run  for  office;  in 
fact,  there  's  several  candidates  announced  al 
ready.  Now,  the  convention  don't  meet  until 


34  CATTLE  BRANDS 

May,  which  is  in  our  favor.  If  my  game  suc 
ceeds,  we  will  be  back  at  work  before  that 
time.  That  will  let  us  out  easy." 

As  their  finances  were  on  a  parity  with 
Baugh's,  the  others  were  willing  to  undertake 
anything  that  looked  likely  to  tide  them  over 
the  winter.  "  Leave  things  to  me,"  said  Baugh. 
"  I  '11  send  a  friend  around  to  sound  our  Ger 
man,  and  see  what  office  he  thinks  he  ?d  like 
to  have." 

The  information  sought  developed  the  fact 
that  it  was  the  office  of  sheriff  that  he  wanted. 
When  the  name  was  furnished,  the  leader  of 
this  scheme  wrote  it  on  a  card  —  Seigerman, 
Louie  Seigerman,  —  not  trusting  to  memory. 
Baugh  now  reduced  their  finances  further  for 
a  shave,  while  he  meditated  how  he  would 
launch  his  scheme.  An  hour  afterwards,  he 
walked  up  to  the  bar,  and  asked,  "  Is  Mr. 
Seigerman  in  ?  " 

"  Dot  ish  my  name,  sir,"  said  the  man  be 
hind  the  bar. 

"  Could  I  see  you  privately  for  a  few  min 
utes?"  asked  Baugh,  who  himself  could  speak 
German,  though  his  tongue  did  not  indicate  it. 

"  In  von  moment,"  said  Seigerman,  as  he 
laid  off  his  white  apron  and  called  an  assist 
ant  to  take  his  place.  He  then  led  the  way  to 
a  back  room,  used  for  a  storehouse.  "  Now, 


SEIGERMAN'S   PER   CENT         35 

mine  frendt,  vat  ish  id?"  inquired  Louie, 
when  they  were  alone. 

"My  name  is  Baughman,"  said  he,  as  he 
shook  Louie's  hand  with  a  hearty  grip.  "I 
work  for  the  Continental  Cattle  Company,  who 
own  a  range  in  the  strip  adjoining  the  county 
line  below  here.  My  people  have  suffered  in 
silence  from  several  bands  of  cattle  thieves 
who  have  headquarters  in  this  county.  Here 
tofore  we  have  never  taken  any  interest  in 
the  local  politics  of  this  community.  But  this 
year  we  propose  to  assert  ourselves,  and  try 
to  elect  a  sheriff  who  will  do  his  sworn  duty, 
and  run  out  of  this  county  these  rustling  cat 
tle  thieves.  Mr.  Seigerman,  it  would  surprise 
you  did  I  give  you  the  figures  in  round  num 
bers  of  the  cattle  that  my  company  have  lost 
by  these  brand-burning  rascals  who  infest  this 
section. 

"Now  to  business,  as  you  are  a  business 
man.  I  have  come  to  ask  you  to  consent  to 
your  name  being  presented  to  the  county  con 
vention,  which  meets  in  May,  as  a  candidate 
for  the  office  of  sheriff  of  this  county." 

As  Louie  scratched  his  head  and  was  med 
itating  on  his  reply,  Baughman  continued: 
"Now,  we  know  that  you  are  a  busy  man,  and 
have  given  this  matter  no  previous  thought, 
so  we  do  not  insist  on  an  immediate  .reply. 


36  CATTLE  BRANDS 

But  think  it  over,  and  let  me  impress  on  your 
mind  that  if  you  consent  to  make  the  race, 
you  will  have  the  support  of  every  cattle-man 
in  the  country.  Not  only  their  influence  and 
support,  but  in  a  selfish  interest  will  their 
purses  be  at  your  command  to  help  elect  you. 
This  request  of  mine  is  not  only  the  mature 
conclusion  of  my  people,  but  we  have  con 
sulted  others  interested,  and  the  opinion  seems 
unanimous  that  you  are  the  man  to  make  the 
race  for  this  important  office." 

"  Mr.  Baughman,  vill  you  not  haf  one  drink 
mit  me  ?  "  said  Seigerman,  as  he  led  the  way 
towards  the  bar. 

"  If  you  will  kindly  excuse  me,  Mr.  Seiger 
man,  I  never  like  to  indulge  while  attending 
to  business  matters.  I  '11  join  you  in  a  cigar, 
however,  for  acquaintance'  sake." 

When  the  cigars  were  lighted  Baugh  ob 
served,  "Why,  do  you  keep  hotel?  If  I  had 
known  it,  I  would  have  put  up  with  you,  but 
my  bill  is  paid  in  advance  at  my  hotel  until 
Saturday.  If  you  can  give  me  a  good  room 
by  then,  I  '11  come  up  and  stop  with  you." 

"You  can  haf  any  room  in  mine  house,  Mr. 
Baughman,"  said  Seigerman. 

As  Baugh  was  about  to  leave  he  once  more 
impressed  on  Louie  the  nature  of  his  call. 
"  Now,  Mr.  Seigerman,"  said  Baughman,  using 


SEIGERMAN'S   PER   CENT         37 

the  German  language  during  the  parting  con 
versation,  "  let  me  have  your  answer  at  the 
earliest  possible  moment,  for  we  want  to  be 
gin  an  active  canvass  at  once.  This  is  a  large 
county,  and  to  enlist  our  friends  in  your  behalf 
no  time  should  be  lost."  With  a  profusion  of 
"  Leben  Sie  wohls  "  and  well  wishes  for  each 
other,  the  "  Zweibund  "  parted. 

Stubb  and  Arab  were  waiting  on  a  corner 
for  Baugh.  When  he  returned  he  withheld  his 
report  until  they  had  retreated  to  the  privacy 
of  their  own  room.  Once  secure,  he  said  to 
both:  "If  you  would  like  to  know  what  an 
active,  resourceful  brain  is,  put  your  ear  to 
my  head,"  tapping  his  temple  with  his  finger, 
"and  listen  to  mine  throb  and  purr.  Every 
thing  is  working  like  silk.  I  'm  going  around 
to  board  with  him  Saturday.  I  want  you  to 
go  over  with  me  to-morrow,  Stubby,  and  give 
him  a  big  game  about  what  a  general  uprising 
there  is  amongst  the  cowmen  for  an  efficient 
man  for  the  office  of  sheriff,  and  make  it 
strong.  I  gave  him  my  last  whirl  to-day  in 
German.  Oh,  he  '11  run  all  right  ;  and  we  want 
to  convey  the  impression  that  we  can  rally  the 
cattle  interests  to  his  support.  Put  up  a  good 
grievance,  mind  you  !  You  can  both  know 
that  I  begged  strong  when  I  took  this  cigar  in 
preference  to  a  drink." 


38  CATTLE  BRANDS 

"  It 's  certainly  a  bad  state  of  affairs  we  Ve 
come  to  when  you  refuse  whiskey.  Don't  you 
think  so,  Stubby?"  said  Arab,  addressing  the 
one  and  appealing  to  the  other.  "  You  never 
refused  no  drink,  Baugh,  you  know  you 
did  n't,"  said  Stubb  reproachfully. 

"  Oh,  you  little  sawed-off  burnt-offer  ing,  you 
can't  see  the  policy  that  we  must  use  in  han 
dling  this  matter.  This  is  a  delicate  play,  that 
can't  be  managed  roughshod  on  horseback. 
It  has  food,  shelter,  and  drink  in  it  for  us  all, 
but  they  must  be  kept  in  the  background.  The 
main  play  now  is  to  convince  Mr.  Seigerman 
that  he  has  a  call  to  serve  his  country  in  the 
office  of  sheriff.  Bear  down  heavy  on  the 
emergency  clause.  Then  make  him  think  that 
no  other  name  but  Louie  Seigerman  will 
satisfy  the  public  clamor.  Now,  my  dear 
Stubby,  I  know  that  you  are  a  gifted  and  ac 
complished  liar,  and  for  that  reason  I  insist 
that  you  work  your  brain  and  tongue  in  this 
matter.  Keep  your  own  motive  in  the  back 
ground  and  bring  his  to  the  front.  That 's  the 
idea.  Now,  can  you  play  your  part?  " 

"  Well,  as  I  have  until  to-morrow  to  think 
it  over,  I  '11  try,"  said  Stubb. 

The  next  afternoon  Baugh  and  Stubb  saun 
tered  into  Louie's  place,  and  received  a  very 
cordial  welcome  at  the  hands  of  the  proprie- 


SEIGERMAN'S   PER  CENT         39 

tor.  Baugh  introduced  Stubb  as  a  friend  of  his 
whom  he  had  met  in  town  that  day,  and  who, 
being  also  interested  in  cattle,  he  thought  might 
be  able  to  offer  some  practical  suggestions. 
Their  polite  refusal  to  indulge  in  a  social  glass 
with  the  proprietor  almost  hurt  his  feelings. 

"  Let  us  retire  to  the  rear  room  for  a  few 
moments  of  conversation,  if  you  have  the  lei 
sure,"  said  Baugh. 

Once  secure  in  the  back  room,  Stubb  opened 
his  talk.  "  As  my  friend  Mr.  Baughman  has 
said,  I  'm  local  manager  of  the  Ohio  Cattle 
Company  operating  in  the  Strip.  I  'm  spending 
considerable  time  in  your  town  at  present,  as 
I  'm  overseeing  the  wintering  of  something  like 
a  hundred  saddle  horses  and  two  hundred  and 
fifty  of  our  thoroughbred  bulls.  We  worked 
our  saddle  stock  so  late  last  fall,  that  on  my 
advice  the  superintendent  sent  them  into  the 
State  to  be  corn-fed  for  the  winter.  The  bulls 
were  too  valuable  to  be  risked  on  the  range. 
We  had  over  fifty  stolen  last  season,  that  cost 
us  over  three  hundred  dollars  a  head.  I  had  a 
letter  this  morning  from  our  superintendent, 
asking  me  to  unite  with  what  seems  to  be  a 
general  movement  to  suppress  this  high-handed 
stealing  that  has  run  riot  in  this  county  in  the 
past.  Mr.  Baughman  has  probably  acquainted 
you  with  the  general  sentiment  in  cattle  circles 


40  CATTLE   BRANDS 

regarding  what  should  be  done.  I  wish  to  as 
sure  you  further  that  my  people  stand  ready 
to  use  their  best  endeavors  to  nominate  a  can 
didate  who  will  pledge  himself  to  stamp  out 
this  disgraceful  brand-burning  and  cattle-rus 
tling.  The  little  protection  shown  the  live-stock 
interests  in  this  western  country  has  actually 
driven  capital  out  of  one  of  the  best  paying  in 
dustries  in  the  West.  But  it  is  our  own  fault. 
We  take  no  interest  in  local  politics.  Any 
one  is  good  enough  for  sheriff  with  us.  But 
this  year  there  seems  to  be  an  awakening.  It 
may  be  a  selfish  interest  that  prompts  this  up 
rising;  I  think  it  is.  But  that  is  the  surest  hope 
in  politics  for  us.  The  cattle-men's  pockets 
have  been  touched,  their  interests  have  been 
endangered.  Mr.  Seigerman,  I  feel  confident 
that  if  you  will  enter  the  race  for  this  office, 
it  will  be  a  walk-away  for  you.  Now  consider 
the  matter  fully,  and  I  might  add  that  there  is 
a  brighter  future  for  you  politically  than  you 
possibly  can  see.  I  wish  I  had  brought  our 
superintendent's  letter  with  me  for  you  to  read. 
"  He  openly  hints  that  if  we  elect  a  sheriff 
in  this  county  this  fall  who  makes  an  efficient 
officer,  he  will  be  strictly  in  line  for  the  office 
of  United  States  Marshal  of  western  Kansas 
and  all  the  Indian  Territory.  You  see,  Mr. 
Seigerman,  in  our  company  we  have  as  stock- 


SEIGERMAN'S   PER  CENT         41 

holders  three  congressmen  and  one  United 
States  senator.  I  have  seen  it  in  the  papers 
myself,  and  it  is  a  common  remark  Down  East, 
so  I  'm  told,  that  the  weather  is  chilly  when 
an  Ohio  man  gets  left.  Now  with  these  men 
of  our  company  interested  in  you,  there  would 
be  no  refusing  them  the  appointment.  Why,  it 
would  give  you  the  naming  of  fifty  deputies  — 
good  easy  money  in  every  one  of  them.  You 
could  sit  back  in  a  well-appointed  government 
office  and  enjoy  the  comforts  of  life.  Now, 
Mr.  Seigerman,  we  will  see  you  often,  but  let 
me  suggest  that  your  acceptance  be  as  soon  as 
possible,  for  if  you  positively  decline  to  enter 
the  race,  we  must  look  in  some  other  quarter 
for  an  available  man."  Leaving  these  remarks 
for  Seigerman's  reflections,  he  walked  out  of 
the  room. 

As  Seigerman  started  to  follow,  Baugh 
tapped  him  on  the  shoulder  to  wait,  as  he  had 
something  to  say  to  him.  Baugh  now  con 
firmed  everything  said,  using  the  German 
language.  He  added,  u  Now,  my  friend  Stubb 
is  too  modest  to  admit  who  his  people  really 
are,  but  the  Ohio  Cattle  Company  is  practi 
cally  the  Standard  Oil  Company,  but  they 
don't  want  it  known.  It's  a  confidence  that 
I'm  placing  in  you,  and  request  you  not  to  re 
peat  it.  Still,  you  know  what  a  syndicate  they 


42  CATTLE  BRANDS 

are  and  the  influence  they  carry.  That  very 
little  man  who  has  been  talking  to  you  has 
better  backing  than  any  cow-boss  in  the  West. 
He 's  a  safe,  conservative  fellow  to  listen  to." 

When  they  had  rejoined  Stubb  in  the  bar 
room,  Baugh  said  to  Seigerman,  "Don't  you 
think  you  can  give  us  your  answer  by  Friday 
next,  so  your  name  can  be  announced  in  the 
papers,  and  an  active  canvass  begun  without 
further  loss  of  time  ?  " 

"  Shentlemens,  I  '11  dry  do,"  said  Louie, 
"  but  you  will  not  dake  a  drink  mit  me  once 
again,  aind  it?" 

"No,  thank  you,  Mr.  Seigerman,"  replied 
Stubb. 

"He  gave  me  a  very  fine  cigar  yesterday; 
you  '11  like  them  if  you  try  one,"  said  Baugh 
to  Stubb.  "  Let  it  be  a  cigar  to-day,  Mr. 
Seigerman." 

As  Baugh  struck  a  match  to  light  his  cigar, 
he  said  to  Stubb,  "  I  'm  coming  up  to  stop 
with  Mr.  Seigerman  to-morrow.  Why  don't 
you  join  us?" 

"  I  vould  be  wery  much  bleased  to  haf  you 
mine  guest,"  said  Louie,  every  inch  the  host. 

"  This  is  a  very  home-like  looking  place," 
remarked  Stubb.  "  I  may  come  up;  I  '11  come 
around  Sunday  and  take  dinner  with  you,  any 
how." 


SEIGERMAN'S   PER  CENT         43 

"  Do,  blease,"  urged  Louie. 

There  was  a  great  deal  to  be  said,  and  it 
required  two  languages  to  express  it  all,  but 
finally  the  "  Dreibund  "  parted.  The  next  day 
Baugh  moved  into  his  new  quarters,  and  the 
day  following  Stubb  was  so  pleased  with  his 
Sunday  dinner  that  he  changed  at  once. 

"  I  'm  expecting  a  man  from  Kansas  City 
to-morrow,"  said  Baugh  to  Louie  on  Sunday 
morning,  "  who  will  know  the  sentiment  ex 
isting  in  cattle  circles  in  that  city.  He  '11  be 
in  on  the  morning  train." 

Stubb,  in  the  mean  time,  had  coached  Arab 
as  to  what  he  should  say.  As  Baugh  and  he 
had  covered  the  same  ground,  it  was  thought 
best  to  have  Arab  Ab  the  heeler,  the  man  who 
could  deliver  the  vote  to  order. 

So  Monday  morning  after  the  train  was  in, 
the  original  trio  entered,  and  Arab  was  intro 
duced.  The  back  room  was  once  more  used 
as  a  council  chamber  where  the  "  Fierbund  " 
held  an  important  session. 

"  I  did  n't  think  there  was  so  much  interest 
being  taken,"  began  Arab  Ab,  "  until  my  at 
tention  was  called  to  it  yesterday  by  the  presi 
dent  and  secretary  of  our  company  in  Kansas 
City.  I  want  to  tell  you  that  the  cattle  inter 
ests  in  that  city  are  aroused.  Why,  our  sec 
retary  showed  me  the  figures  from  his  books; 


44  CATTLE  BRANDS 

and  in  the  '  Tin  Cup  '  brand  alone  we  shipped 
out  three  hundred  and  twelve  beeves  short, 
out  of  twenty-nine  hundred  and  ninety-six 
bought  two  years  ago.  My  employers,  Mr. 
Seigerman,  are  practical  cowmen,  and  they 
know  that  those  steers  never  left  the  range 
without  help.  Nothing  but  lead  or  Texas 
fever  can  kill  a  beef.  We  have  n't  had  a  case 
of  fever  on  our  range  for  years,  nor  a  winter 
in  five  years  that  would  kill  an  old  cow.  Why, 
our  president  told  me  if  something  was  n't 
done  they  would  have  to  abandon  this  country 
and  go  where  they  could  get  protection.  His 
final  orders  were  to  do  what  I  could  to  get  an 
eligible  man  as  a  candidate,  which,  I  'm  glad 
to  hear  from  my  friends  here,  we  have  hopes 
of  doing.  Then  when  the  election  comes  off, 
we  must  drop  everything  and  get  every  man 
to  claim  a  residence  in  this  county  and  vote 
him  here.  I  '11  admit  that  I  'm  no  good  as  a 
wire-puller,  but  when  it  comes  to  getting  out 
the  voters,  there  's  where  you  will  find  me  as 
solid  as  a  bridge  abutment. 

"  Why,  Mr.  Seigerman,  when  I  was  skin 
ning  mules  for  Creech  &  Lee,  contractors  on 
the  Rock  Island,  one  fall,  they  gave  me  my 
orders,  which  was  to  get  every  man  on  the 
works  ready  to  ballot.  I  lined  them  up  and 
voted  them  like  running  cattle  through  a 


SEIGERMAN'S   PER  CENT         45 

branding-chute  to  put  on  a  tally-mark  or  vent 
a  brand.  There  were  a  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  of  those  dagoes  from  the  rock-cut;  I 
handled  them  like  dipping  sheep  for  the  scab. 
My  friends  here  can  tell  you  how  I  managed 
voting  the  bonds  at  a  little  town  east  of  here. 
I  had  my  orders  from  the  same  people  I  ?m 
working  for  now,  to  get  out  the  cow-puncher 
element  in  the  Strip  for  the  bonds.  The  bosses 
simply  told  me  that  what  they  wanted  was  a 
competing  line  of  railroad.  And  as  they  didn't 
expect  to  pay  the  obligations,  only  author 
ize  them,  —  the  next  generation  could  attend 
to  the  paying  of  them,  —  we  got  out  a  full 
vote.  Well,  we  ran  in  from  four  to  five  hun 
dred  men  from  the  Strip,  and  out  of  over 
seven  hundred  ballots  cast,  only  one  against 
the  bonds.  We  hunted  the  town  all  over  to 
find  the  man  that  voted  against  us;  we  wanted 
to  hang  him!  The  only  trouble  I  had  was  to 
make  the  boys  think  it  was  a  straight  up 
Democratic  play,  as  they  were  nearly  all  ori 
ginally  from  Texas.  Now,  my  friends  here 
have  told  me  that  they  are  urging  you  to  ac 
cept  the  nomination  for  sheriff.  I  can  only 
add  that  in  case  you  consent,  my  people  stand 
ready  to  give  their  every  energy  to  this  com 
ing  campaign.  As  far  as  funds  are  concerned 
to  prosecute  the  election  of  an  acceptable 


46  CATTLE   BRANDS 

* 
sheriff  to  the  cattle  interests,  we  would  simply 

be  flooded  with  it.  It  would  be  impossible  to 
use  one  half  of  what  would  be  forced  on  us. 
One  thing  I  can  say  positively,  Mr.  Seiger- 
man :  they  would  n't  permit  you  to  contri 
bute  one  cent  to  the  expense  of  your  election. 
Cattle-men  are  big-hearted  fellows — they  are 
friends  worth  having,  Mr.  Seigerman." 

Louie  drew  a  long  breath,  and  it  seemed 
that  a  load  had  been  lifted  from  his  mind  by 
these  last  remarks  of  Arab's. 

"How  many  men  are  there  in  the  Strip?" 
asked  Arab  of  the  others. 

"  On  all  three  divisions  of  the  last  round 
up  there  were  something  like  two  thousand," 
replied  Baugh.  "  And  this  county  adjoins  the 
Cattle  Country  for  sixty  miles  on  the  north," 
said  Arab,  still  continuing  his  musing,  "or 
one  third  of  the  Strip.  Well,  gentlemen,"  he 
went  on,  waking  out  of  his  mental  reverie  and 
striking  the  table  with  his  fist,  "  if  there  's  that 
many  men  in  the  country  below,  I  '11  agree  to 
vote  one  half  of  them  in  this  county  this  fall." 

"  Hold  on  a  minute,  are  n't  you  a  trifle  high 
on  your  estimate  ?  "  asked  Stubb,  the  conserva 
tive,  protestingly. 

"  Not  a  man  too  high.  Give  them  a  week's 
lay-off,  with  plenty  to  drink  at  this  end  of  the 
string,  and  every  man  will  come  in  for  fifty 


SEIGERMAN'S   PER   CENT         47 

miles  either  way.  The  time  we  voted  the  bonds 
won't  be  a  marker  to  this  election." 

"  He  's  not  far  wrong,"  said  Baugh  to  Stubb. 
"Give  the  rascals  a  chance  for  a  holiday  like 
that,  and  they  will  come  from  the  south  line  of 
the  Strip." 

"  That 's  right,  Mr.  Seigerman,"  said  Arab. 
"  They  '11  come  from  the  west  and  south  to  a 
man,  and  as  far  east  as  the  middle  of  the  next 
county.  I  tell  you  they  will  be  a  thousand 
strong  and  a  unit  in  voting.  Watch  my  smoke 
on  results ! " 

"Well,"  said  Stubb,  slowly  and  deliberately, 
"  I  think  it 's  high  time  we  had  Mr.  Seiger- 
man's  consent  to  make  the  race.  This  count 
ing  of  our  forces  and  the  sinews  of  war  is 
good  enough  in  advance;  but  I  must  insist 
on  an  answer  from  Mr.  Seigerman.  Will  you 
become  our  candidate?" 

"  Shentlemens,  how  can  I  refuse  to  be  one 
sheriff?  The  cattle-mens  must  be  protec.  I 
accep." 

The  trio  now  arose,  and  with  a  round  of 
oaths  that  would  have  made  the  captain  of  a 
pirate  ship  green  with  envy  swore  Seigerman 
had  taken  a  step  he  would  never  regret.  After 
the  hearty  congratulation  on  his  acceptance, 
they  reseated  themselves,  when  Louie,  in  his 
gratitude,  insisted  that  on  pleasant  occasions 


48  CATTLE   BRANDS 

like  this  he  should  be  permitted  to  offer  some 
refreshments  of  a  liquid  nature. 

"I  never  like  to  indulge  at  a  bar,"  said 
Stubb.  "The  people  whom  I  work  for  are 
very  particular  regarding  the  habits  of  their 
trusted  men." 

"  It  might  be  permissible  on  occasions  like 
this  to  break  certain  established  rules,"  sug 
gested  Baugh,  "besides,  Mr.  Seigerman  can 
bring  it  in  here,  where  we  will  be  unobserved." 

"  Very  well,  then,"  said  Stubb,  "  I  waive  my 
objections  for  sociability's  sake." 

When  Louie  had  retired  for  this  purpose, 
Baugh  arose  to  his  full  dignity  and  six  foot 
three,  and  said  to  the  other  two,  bowing, 
"  Your  uncle,  my  dears,  will  never  allow  you 
to  come  to  want.  Pin  your  faith  to  the  old  man. 
Why,  we  '11  wallow  in  the  fat  of  the  land  until 
the  grass  comes  again,  gentle  Annie.  Gentle 
men,  if  you  are  gentlemen,  which  I  doubt  like 
hell,  salute  the  victor! "  The  refreshment  was 
brought  in,  and  before  the  session  adjourned, 
they  had  lowered  the  contents  of  a  black  bottle 
of  private  stock  by  several  fingers. 

The  announcement  of  the  candidacy  of 
Mr.  Louis  Seigerman  in  the  next  week's  pa 
per  (by  aid  of  the  accompanying  fiver  which 
went  with  the  "  copy  ")  encouraged  the  editor, 
that  others  might  follow,  to  write  a  short, 


SEIGERMAN'S   PER  CENT         49 

favorable  editorial.  The  article  spoke  of  Mr. 
Seigerman  as  a  leading  citizen,  who  would 
fill  the  office  with  credit  to  himself  and  the 
community.  The  trio  read  this  short  editorial 
to  Louie  daily  for  the  first  week.  All  three 
were  now  putting  their  feet  under  the  table 
with  great  regularity,  and  doing  justice  to  the 
vintage  on  invitation.  The  back  room  became 
a  private  office  for  the  central  committee  of 
four.  They  were  able  political  managers.  The 
campaign  was  beginning  to  be  active,  but  no  ad 
verse  reports  were  allowed  to  reach  the  candi 
date's  ears.  He  actually  had  no  opposition,  so 
the  reports  came  in  to  the  central  committee. 

It  was  even  necessary  to  send  out  Arab  Ab 
to  points  on  the  railroad  to  get  the  sentiments 
of  this  and  that  community,  which  were  al 
ways  favorable.  Funds  for  these  trips  were 
forced  on  them  by  the  candidate.  The  thought 
of  presenting  a  board  bill  to  such  devoted 
friends  never  entered  mine  host's  mind.  Thus 
several  months  passed. 

The  warm  sun  and  green  blades  of  grass 
suggested  springtime.  The  boys  had  played 
the  role  as  long  as  they  cared  to.  It  had  served 
the  purpose  that  was  intended.  But  they  must 
not  hurt  the  feelings  of  Seigerman,  or  let  the 
cause  of  their  zeal  become  known  to  their 
benefactor  and  candidate  for  sheriff.  One  day 


50  CATTLE  BRANDS 

report  came  in  of  some  defection  and  a  rival 
candidate  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county. 
All  hands  volunteered  to  go  out.  Funds  were 
furnished,  which  the  central  committee  as 
sured  their  host  would  be  refunded  whenever 
they  could  get  in  touch  with  headquarters,  or 
could  see  some  prominent  cowman. 

At  the  end  of  a  week  Mr.  Seigerman  re 
ceived  a  letter.  The  excuses  offered  at  the 
rich  man's  feast  were  discounted  by  pressing 
orders.  One  had  gone  to  Texas  to  receive  a 
herd  of  cattle,  instead  of  a  few  oxen,  one  had 
been  summoned  to  Kansas  City,  one  to  Ohio. 
The  letter  concluded  with  the  assurance  that 
Mr.  Seigerman  need  have  no  fear  but  that  he 
would  be  the  next  sheriff. 

The  same  night  that  the  letter  was  received 
by  mine  host,  this  tale  was  retold  at  a  cow- 
camp  in  the  Strip  by  the  trio.  The  hard  win 
ter  was  over. 

At  the  county  convention  in  May,  Seiger- 
man's  name  was  presented.  On  each  of  three 
ballots  he  received  one  lone  vote.  When  the 
news  reached  the  boys  in  the  Strip,  they 
dubbed  this  one  vote  "  Seigerman's  Per  Cent," 
meaning  the  worst  of  anything,  and  that  ex 
pression  became  a  byword  on  the  range,  from 
Brownsville,  Texas,  to  the  Milk  River  in 
Montana. 


Ill 

"BAD   MEDICINE" 

THE  evening  before  the  Cherokee 
Strip  was  thrown  open  for  settle 
ment,  a  number  of  old  timers  met 
in  the  little  town  of  Hennessey,  Oklahoma. 

On  the  next  day  the  Strip  would  pass  from 
us  and  our  employers,  the  cowmen.  Some 
of  the  boys  had  spent  from  five  to  fifteen 
years  on  this  range.  But  we  realized  that  we 
had  come  to  the  parting  of  the  ways. 

This  was  not  the  first  time  that  the  gov 
ernment  had  taken  a  hand  in  cattle  matters. 
Some  of  us  in  former  days  had  moved  cattle 
at  the  command  of  negro  soldiers,  with  wintry 
winds  howling  an  accompaniment. 

The  cowman  was  never  a  government  fa 
vorite.  If  the  Indian  wards  of  the  nation  had 
a  few  million  acres  of  idle  land,  "  Let  it  lie 
idle,"  said  the  guardian.  Some  of  these  civil 
ized  tribes  maintained  a  fine  system  of  public 
schools  from  the  rental  of  unoccupied  lands. 
Nations,  like  men,  revive  the  fable  of  the 
dog  and  the  ox.  But  the  guardian  was  su 
preme —  the  cowman  went.  This  was  not  un- 


52  CATTLE   BRANDS 

expected  to  most  of  us.  Still,  this  country  was 
a  home  to  us.  It  mattered  little  if  our  names 
were  on  the  pay-roll  or  not,  it  clothed  and  fed 
us. 

We  were  seated  around  a  table  in  the  rear 
of  a  saloon  talking  of  the  morrow.  The  place 
was  run  by  a  former  cowboy.  It  therefore  be 
came  a  rendezvous  for  the  craft.  Most  of  us 
had  made  up  our  minds  to  quit  cattle  for  good 
and  take  claims. 

"Before  I  take  a  claim,"  said  Tom  Roll, 
"  I  '11  go  to  Minnesota  and  peon  myself  to  some 
Swede  farmer  for  my  keep  the  balance  of  my 
life.  Making  hay  and  plowing  fire  guards  the 
last  few  years  have  given  me  all  the  taste  of 
farming  that  I  want.  I  'm  going  to  Montana 
in  the  spring." 

"Why  don't  you  go  this  winter?  Is  your 
underwear  too  light?"  asked  Ace  Gee. 
"  Now,  I  'm  going  to  make  a  farewell  play," 
continued  Ace.  "I'm  going  to  take  a  claim, 
and  before  I  file  on  it,  sell  my  rights,  go  back 
to  old  Van  Zandt  County,  Texas,  this  winter, 
rear  up  my  feet,  and  tell  it  to  them  scarey. 
That 's  where  all  my  folks  live." 

"Well,  for  a  winter's  stake,"  chimed  in  Joe 
Box,  "  Ace's  scheme  is  all  right.  We  can  get 
five  hundred  dollars  out  of  a  claim  for  simply 
staking  it,  and  we  know  some  good  ones.  That 


"BAD  MEDICINE"  53 

sized  roll  ought  to  winter  a  man  with  modest 


tastes." 


"  You  did  n't  know  that  I  just  came  from 
Montana,  did  you,  Tom?  "  asked  Ace.  "I  can 
tell  you  more  about  that  country  than  you  want 
to  know.  I  've  been  up  the  trail  this  year  ;  de 
livered  our  cattle  on  the  Yellowstone,  where 
the  outfit  I  worked  for  has  a  northern  range. 
When  I  remember  this  summer's  work,  I  some 
times  think  that  I  will  burn  my  saddle  and 
never  turn  or  look  a  cow  in  the  face  again,  nor 
ride  anything  but  a  plow  mule  and  that  bare 
back. 

"  The  people  I  was  working  for  have  a  range 
in  Tom  Green  County,  Texas,  and  another  one 
in  Montana.  They  send  their  young  steers 
north  to  mature  —  good  idea,  too!  — but  they 
are  not  cowmen  like  the  ones  we  know. 
They  made  their  money  in  the  East  in  a  patent 
medicine  —  got  scads  of  it,  too.  But  that 's  no 
argument  that  they  know  anything  about  a 
cow.  They  have  a  board  of  directors  —  it  is 
one  of  those  cattle  companies.  Looks  like  they 
started  in  the  cattle  business  to  give  their  in 
come  a  healthy  outlet  from  the  medicine  branch. 
They  operate  on  similar  principles  as  those 
soap  factory  people  did  here  in  the  Strip  a 
few  years  ago.  About  the  time  they  learn  the 
business  they  go  broke  and  retire. 


54  CATTLE  BRANDS 

"Our  boss  this  summer  was  some  relation 
to  the  wife  of  some  of  the  medicine  people 
Down  East.  As  they  had  no  use  for  him  back 
there,  they  sent  him  out  to  the  ranch,  where  he 
would  be  useful. 

"We  started  north  with  the  grass.  Had 
thirty-three  hundred  head  of  twos  and  threes, 
with  a  fair  string  of  saddle  stock.  They  run 
the  same  brand  on  both  ranges  —  the  broken 
arrow.  You  never  saw  a  cow-boss  have  so 
much  trouble ;  a  married  woman  was  n't  a  cir 
cumstance  to  him,  fretting  and  sweating  con 
tinually.  This  was  his  first  trip  over  the  trail, 
but  the  boys  were  a  big  improvement  on  the 
boss,  as  we  had  a  good  outfit  of  men  along. 
My  idea  of  a  good  cow-boss  is  a  man  that 
does  n't  boss  any;  just  hires  a  first-class  outfit 
of  men,  and  then  there  is  no  bossing  to  do. 

"  We  had  to  keep  well  to  the  west  getting 
out  of  Texas  ;  kept  to  the  west  of  Buffalo 
Gap.  From  there  to  Tepee  City  is  a  dry,  bar 
ren  country.  To  get  water  for  a  herd  the  size 
of  ours  was  some  trouble.  This  new  medicine 
man  got  badly  worried  several  times.  He 
used  his  draft  book  freely,  buying  water  for 
the  cattle  while  crossing  this  stretch  of  de 
sert;  the  natives  all  through  there  considered 
him  the  softest  snap  they  had  met  in  years. 
Several  times  we  were  without  water  for  the 


"BAD  MEDICINE"  55 

stock  two  whole  days.  That  makes  cattle  hard 
to  hold  at  night.  They  want  to  get  up  and 
prowl  —  it  makes  them  feverish,  and  then 's 
when  they  are  ripe  for  a  stampede.  We  had 
several  bobles  crossing  that  strip  of  country; 
nothing  bad,  just  jump  and  run  a  mile  or  so, 
and  then  mill  until  daylight.  Then  our  boss 
would  get  great  action  on  himself  and  ride  a 
horse  until  the  animal  would  give  out  —  sick, 
he  called  it.  After  the  first  little  run  we  had, 
it  took  him  half  the  next  day  to  count  them; 
then  he  could  n't  believe  his  own  figures. 

"A  Val  Verde  County  lad  who  counted 
with  him  said  they  were  all  right  —  not  a  hoof 
shy.  But  the  medicine  man's  opinion  was  the 
reverse.  At  this  the  Val  Verde  boy  got  on  the 
prod  slightly,  and  expressed  himself,  saying, 
*  Why  don't  you  have  two  of  the  other  boys 
count  them?  You  can't  come  within  a  hun 
dred  of  me,  or  yourself  either,  for  that  mat 
ter.  I  can  pick  out  two  men,  and  if  they  differ 
five  head,  it  '11  be  a  surprise  to  me.  The  way 
the  boys  have  brought  the  cattle  by  us,  any 
man  that  can't  count  this  herd  and  not  have  his 
own  figures  differ  more  than  a  hundred  had 
better  quit  riding,  get  himself  some  sandals, 
and  a  job  herding  sheep.  Let  me  give  you  this 
pointer:  if  you  are  not  anxious  to  have  last 
night's  fun  over  again,  you  'd  better  quit 


56  CATTLE  BRANDS 

counting  and  get  this  herd  full  of  grass  and 
water  before  night,  or  you  will  be  cattle  shy 
as  sure  as  hell 's  hot.' 

" '  When  I  ask  you  for  an  opinion,'  answered 
the  foreman,  somewhat  indignant,  <  such  re 
marks  will  be  in  order.  Until  then  you  may 
keep  your  remarks  to  yourself.' 

"  'That  will  suit  me  all  right,  old  sport,'  re 
torted  Val  Verde;  'and  when  you  want  any 
one  to  help  you  count  your  fat  cattle,  get  some 
of  the  other  boys  —  one  that  '11  let  you  doubt 
his  count  as  you  have  mine,  and  if  he  admires 
you  for  it,  cut  my  wages  in  two.' 

"  After  the  two  had  been  sparring  with  each 
other  some  little  time,  another  of  the  boys 
ventured  the  advice  that  it  would  be  easy  to 
count  the  animals  as  they  came  out  of  the 
water;  so  the  order  went  forward  to  let  them 
hit  the  trail  for  the  first  water.  We  made  a 
fine  stream,  watering  early  in  the  afternoon. 
As  they  grazed  out  from  the  creek  we  fed 
them  through  between  two  of  the  boys.  The 
count  showed  no  cattle  short.  In  fact,  the 
Val  Verde  boy's  count  was  confirmed.  It  was 
then  that  our  medicine  man  played  his  cards 
wrong.  He  still  insisted  that  we  were  cattle 
out,  thus  queering  himself  with  his  men.  He 
was  gradually  getting  into  a  lone  minority, 
though  he  did  n't  have  sense  enough  to  realize 


"BAD  MEDICINE"  57 

it  He  would  even  fight  with  and  curse  his 
horses  to  impress  us  with  his  authority.  Very 
little  attention  was  paid  to  him  after  this,  and 
as  grass  and  water  improved  right  along  no 
thing  of  interest  happened. 

"While  crossing '  No-Man's-Land  '  a  month 
later,  —  I  was  on  herd  myself  at  the  time,  a 
bright  moonlight  night,  —  they  jumped  like  a 
cat  shot  with  No.  8's,  and  quit  the  bed-ground 
instanter.  There  were  three  of  us  on  guard  at 
the  time,  and  before  the  other  boys  could  get 
out  of  their  blankets  and  into  their  saddles  the 
herd  had  gotten  well  under  headway.  Even 
when  the  others  came  to  our  assistance,  it 
took  us  some  time  to  quiet  them  down.  As 
this  scare  came  during  last  guard,  daylight 
was  on  us  before  they  had  quit  milling,  and 
we  were  three  miles  from  the  wagon.  As  we 
drifted  them  back  towards  camp,  for  fear  that 
something  might  have  gotten  away,  most  of 
the  boys  scoured  the  country  for  miles  about, 
but  without  reward.  When  all  had  returned 
to  camp,  had  breakfasted,  and  changed  horses, 
the  counting  act  was  ordered  by  Mr.  Medi 
cine.  Our  foreman  naturally  felt  that  he  would 
have  to  take  a  hand  in  this  count,  evidently 
forgetting  his  last  experience  in  that  line.  He 
was  surprised,  when  he  asked  one  of  the  boys 
to  help  him,  by  receiving  a  flat  refusal. 


58  CATTLE  BRANDS 

" '  Why  won't  you  count  with  me  ? '  he  de 
manded. 

"  '  Because  you  don't  possess  common  cow 
sense  enough,  nor  is  the  crude  material  in  you 
to  make  a  cow-hand.  You  found  fault  with 
the  men  the  last  count  we  had,  and  I  don't 
propose  to  please  you  by  giving  you  a  chance 
to  find  fault  with  me.  That 's  why  I  won't 
count  with  you.' 

"  '  Don't  you  know,  sir,  that  I  'm  in  author 
ity  here  ? '  retorted  the  foreman. 

"  <  Well,  if  you  are,  no  one  seems  to  respect 
your  authority,  as  you  're  pleased  to  call  it, 
and  I  don't  know  of  any  reason  why  I  should. 
You  have  plenty  of  men  here  who  can  count 
them  correctly.  I  '11  count  them  with  any  man 
in  the  outfit  but  yourself.' 

"'Our  company  sent  me  as  their  repre 
sentative  with  this  herd,'  replied  the  foreman, 
'while  you  have  the  insolence  to  disregard  my 
orders.  I  '11  discharge  you  the  first  moment  I 
can  get  a  man  to  take  your  place.' 

" '  Oh,  that  '11  be  all  right,'  answered  the  lad, 
as  the  foreman  rode  away.  He  then  tackled 
me,  but  I  acted  foolish,  'fessing  up  that  I 
could  n't  count  a  hundred.  Finally  he  rode 
around  to  a  quiet  little  fellow,  with  pox-marks 
on  his  face,  who  always  rode  on  the  point, 
kept  his  horses  fatter  than  anybody,  rode  a 


"BAD  MEDICINE"  59 

San  Jose*  saddle,  and  was  called  Californy. 
The  boss  asked  him  to  help  him  count  the 
herd. 

"'Now  look  here,  boss,'  said  Californy, 
'  I  '11  pick  one  of  the  boys  to  help  me,  and 
we  '11  count  the  cattle  to  within  a  few  head. 
Won't  that  satisfy  you  ? ' 

" '  No,  sir,  it  won't.  What 's  got  into  you 
boys?'  questioned  the  foreman. 

"  <  There  's  nothing  the  matter  with  the  boys, 
but  the  cattle  business  has  gone  to  the  dogs 
when  a  valuable  herd  like  this  will  be  trusted 
to  cross  a  country  for  two  thousand  miles  in 
the  hands  of  a  man  like  yourself.  You  have 
men  that  will  pull  you  through  if  you'll  only 
let  them,'  said  the  point-rider,  his  voice  mild 
and  kind  as  though  he  were  speaking  to  a 
child. 

" '  You  're  just  like  the  rest  of  them ! '  roared 
the  boss.  '  Want  to  act  contrary !  Now  let  me 
say  to  you  that  you  '11  help  me  to  count  these 
cattle  or  I  '11  discharge,  unhorse,  and  leave  you 
afoot  here  in  this  country !  I  '11  make  an  ex 
ample  of  you  as  a  warning  to  others.' 

"  *  It 's  strange  that  I  should  be  signaled  out 
as  an  object  of  your  wrath  and  displeasure,' 
said  Californy.  '  Besides,  if  I  were  you,  I 
would  n't  make  any  examples  as  you  were 
thinking  of  doing.  When  you  talk  of  making 


60  CATTLE   BRANDS 

an  example  of  me  as  a  warning  to  others,' 
said  the  pox-marked  lad,  as  he  reached  over, 
taking  the  reins  of  the  foreman's  horse  firmly 
in  his  hand,  <  you  're  a  simpering  idiot  for 
entertaining  the  idea,  and  a  cowardly  bluffer 
for  mentioning  it.  When  you  talk  of  unhors 
ing  and  leaving  me  here  afoot  in  a  country 
a  thousand  miles  from  nowhere,  you  don't 
know  what  that  means,  but  there  's  no  danger 
of  your  doing  it.  I  feel  easy  on  that  point.  But 
I  'm  sorry  to  see  you  make  such  a  fool  of 
yourself.  Now,  you  may  think  for  a  moment 
that  I  'm  afraid  of  that  ivory-handled  gun  you 
wear,  but  I  'm  not.  Men  wear  them  on  the 
range,  not  so  much  to  emphasize  their  de 
mands  with,  as  you  might  think.  If  it  were 
me,  I  'd  throw  it  in  the  wagon;  it  may  get  you 
into  trouble.  One  thing  certain,  if  you  ever 
so  much  as  lay  your  hand  on  it,  when  you  are 
making  threats  as  you  have  done  to-day,  I  '11 
build  a  fire  in  your  face  that  you  can  read  the 
San  Francisco  "  Examiner  "  by  at  midnight. 
You'll  have  to  revise  your  ideas  a  trifle;  in 
fact,  change  your  tactics.  You  're  off  your 
reservation  bigger  than  a  wolf,  when  you  try 
to  run  things  by  force.  There  's  lots  better 
ways.  Don't  try  and  make  talk  stick  for  actions, 
nor  use  any  prelude  to  the  real  play  you  wish 
to  make.  Unroll  your  little  game  with  the  real 


"BAD  MEDICINE"  61 

thing.  You  can't  throw  alkaline  dust  in  my 
eyes  and  tell  me  it 's  snowing.  I  'm  sorry  to 
have  to  tell  you  all  this,  though  I  have  noticed 
that  you  needed  it  for  a  long  time.' 

"  As  he  released  his  grip  on  the  bridle  reins, 
he  continued,  '  Now  ride  back  to  the  wagon, 
throw  off  that  gun,  tell  some  of  the  boys  to 
take  a  man  and  count  these  cattle,  and  it  will 
be  done  better  than  if  you  helped.' 

" '  Must  I  continue  to  listen  to  these  insults 
on  every  hand?'  hissed  the  medicine  man, 
livid  with  rage. 

"<  First  remove  the  cause  before  you  apply 
the  remedy;  that's  in  your  line,'  answered 
Californy.  '  Besides,  what  are  you  going  to  do 
about  it?  You  don't  seem  to  be  gifted  with 
enough  cow-sense  to  even  use  a  modified 
amount  of  policy  in  your  every-day  affairs,' 
said  he,  as  he  rode  away  to  avoid  hearing  his 
answer. 

"  Several  of  us,  who  were  near  enough  to 
hear  this  dressing-down  of  the  boss  at  Cali- 
forny's  hands,  rode  up  to  offer  our  congratula 
tions,  when  we  noticed  that  old  Bad  Medicine 
had  gotten  a  stand  on  one  of  the  boys  called 
'  Pink.'  After  leaving  him,  he  continued  his 
ride  towards  the  wagon.  Pink  soon  joined 
us,  a  broad  smile  playing  over  his  homely 
florid  countenance. 


62  CATTLE   BRANDS 

"  '  Some  of  you  boys  must  have  given  him 
a  heavy  dose  for  so  early  in  the  morning,'  said 
Pink,  'for  he  ordered  me  to  have  the  cattle 
counted,  and  report  to  him  at  the  wagon. 
Acted  like  he  did  n't  aim  to  do  the  trick  him 
self.  Now,  as  I  'm  foreman,'  continued  Pink, 
'  I  want  you  two  point-men  to  go  up  to  the  first 
little  rise  of  ground,  and  we  '11  put  the  cattle 
through  between  you.  I  want  a  close  count, 
understand.  You  're  working  under  a  boss 
now  that  will  shove  you  through  hell  itself. 
So  if  you  miss  them  over  a  hundred,  I  '11 
speak  to  the  management,  and  see  if  I  can't 
have  your  wages  raised,  or  have  you  made  a 
foreman  or  something  with  big  wages  and 
nothing  to  do.' 

"  The  point-men  smiled  at  Pink's  orders, 
and  one  asked,  '  Are  you  ready  now? ' 

"  <  All  set,'  responded  Pink.  <  Let  the  fid 
dlers  cut  loose.' 

"Well,  we  lined  them  up  and  got  them 
strung  out  in  shape  to  count,  and  our  point- 
men  picking  out  a  favorite  rise,  we  lined  them 
through  between  our  counters.  We  fed  them 
through,  and  as  regularly  as  a  watch  you 
could  hear  Californy  call  out  to  his  pardner 
'  tally !  '  Alternately  they  would  sing  out  this 
check  on  the  even  hundred  head,  slipping  a 
knot  on  their  tally  string  to  keep  the  hun- 


"BAD   MEDICINE"  63 

dreds.  It  took  a  full  half  hour  to  put  them 
through,  and  when  the  rear  guard  of  crips 
and  dogies  passed  this  impromptu  review, 
we  all  waited  patiently  for  the  verdict.  Our 
counters  rode  together,  and  Californy,  leaning 
over  on  the  pommel  of  his  saddle,  said  to  his 
pardner,  '  What  you  got  ? ' 

"  '  Thirty-three  six,'  was  the  answer. 

"  *  Why,  you  can't  count  a  little  bit,'  said 
Californy.  '  I  got  thirty-three  seven.  How 
does  the  count  suit  you,  boss?' 

" '  Easy  suited,  gents,'  said  Pink.  <  But  I  'm 
surprised  to  find  such  good  men  with  a  com 
mon  cow  herd.  I  must  try  and  have  you  ap 
pointed  by  the  government  on  this  commission 
that 's  to  investigate  Texas  fever.  You  're  al 
together  too  accomplished  for  such  a  common 
calling  as  claims  you  at  present.' 

"  Turning  to  the  rest  of  us,  he  said,  '  Throw 
your  cattle  on  the  trail,  you  vulgar  peons, 
while  I  ride  back  to  order  forward  my  wagon 
and  saddle  stock.  By  rights,  I  ought  to  have 
one  of  those  centre  fire  cigars  to  smoke,  to 
set  off  my  authority  properly  on  this  occa 


sion.' 


"  He  jogged  back  to  the  wagon  and  satis 
fied  the  dethroned  medicine  man  that  the  cat 
tle  were  there  to  a  hoof.  We  soon  saw  the 
saddle  horses  following,  and  an  hour  after- 


64  CATTLE   BRANDS 

ward  Pink  and  the  foreman  rode  by  us,  big 
as  fat  cattle-buyers  from  Kansas  City,  not 
even  knowing  any  one,  so  absorbed  in  their 
conversation  were  they;  rode  on  by  and  up 
the  trail,  looking  out  for  grass  and  water. 

"  It  was  over  two  weeks  afterward  when 
Pink  said  to  us,  <  When  we  strike  the  Santa 
Fe  Railway,  I  may  advise  my  man  to  take  a 
needed  rest  for  a  few  weeks  in  some  of  the 
mountain  resorts.  I  hope  you  all  noticed  how 
worried  he  looks,  and,  to  my  judgment,  he 
seems  to  be  losing  flesh.  I  don't  like  to  sug 
gest  anything,  but  the  day  before  we  reach 
the  railroad,  I  think  a  day's  curlew  shooting 
in  the  sand  hills  along  the  Arkansas  River 
might  please  his  highness.  In  case  he  '11  go 
with  me,  if  I  don't  lose  him,  I  '11  never  come 
back  to  this  herd.  It  won't  hurt  him  any  to 
sleep  out  one  night  with  the  dry  cattle.' 

"  Sure  enough,  the  day  before  we  crossed 
that  road,  somewhere  near  the  Colorado  state 
line,  Pink  and  Bad  Medicine  left  camp  early 
in  the  morning  for  a  curlew  hunt  in  the  sand 
hills.  Fortunately  it  was  a  foggy  morning, 
and  within  half  an  hour  the  two  were  out  of 
sight  of  camp  and  herd.  As  Pink  had  out 
lined  the  plans,  everything  was  understood. 
We  were  encamped  on  a  nice  stream,  and  in 
stead  of  trailing  along  with  the  herd,  lay  over 


"BAD  MEDICINE"  65 

for  that  day.  Night  came  and  our  hunters 
failed  to  return,  and  the  next  morning  we 
trailed  forward  towards  the  Arkansas  River. 
Just  as  we  went  into  camp  at  noon,  two  horse 
men  loomed  up  in  sight  coming  down  the 
trail  from  above.  Every  rascal  of  us  knew 
who  they  were,  and  when  the  two  rode  up, 
Pink  grew  very  angry  and  demanded  to  know 
why  we  had  failed  to  reach  the  river  the  day 
before. 

"  The  horse  wrangler,  a  fellow  named  Joe 
George,  had  been  properly  coached,  and  step 
ping  forward,  volunteered  this  excuse:  '  You 
all  did  n't  know  it  when  you  left  camp  yester 
day  morning  that  we  were  out  the  wagon  team 
and  nearly  half  the  saddle  horses.  Well,  we 
were.  And  what's  more,  less  than  a  mile 
below  on  the  creek  was  an  abandoned  Indian 
camp.  I  was  n't  going  to  be  left  behind  with 
the  cook  to  look  for  the  missing  stock,  and 
told  the  segundo  so.  We  divided  into  squads 
of  three  or  four  men  each  and  went  out  and 
looked  up  the  horses,  but  it  was  after  six 
o'clock  before  we  trailed  them  down  and  got 
the  missing  animals.  If  anybody  thinks  I  'm 
going  to  stay  behind  to  look  for  missing  stock 
in  a  country  full  of  lurking  Indians  —  well, 
they  simply  don't  know  me.' 

"  The  scheme  worked  all  right.    On  reach- 


66  CATTLE   BRANDS 

ing  the  railroad  the  next  morning,  Bad  Medi 
cine  authorized  Pink  to  take  the  herd  to  Oga- 
lalla  on  the  Platte,  while  he  took  a  train  for 
Denver.  Around  the  camp-fire  that  night,  Pink 
gave  us  his  experience  in  losing  Mr.  Medi 
cine.  '  Oh,  I  lost  him  late  enough  in  the  day 
so  he  could  n't  reach  any  shelter  for  the  night,' 
said  Pink.  'At  noon,  when  the  sun  was 
straight  overhead,  I  sounded  him  as  to  direc 
tions  and  found  that  he  did  n't  know  straight 
up  or  east  from  west.  After  giving  him  the 
slip,  I  kept  an  eye  on  him  among  the  sand  hills, 
at  the  distance  of  a  mile  or  so,  until  he  gave 
up  and  unsaddled  at  dusk.  The  next  morning 
when  I  overtook  him,  I  pretended  to  be  trail 
ing  him  up,  and  I  threw  enough  joy  into  my 
rapture  over  finding  him,  that  he  never  doubted 
my  sincerity.' 

"  On  reaching  Ogalalla,  a  man  from  Montana 
put  in  an  appearance  in  company  with  poor 
old  Medicine,  and  as  they  did  business  strictly 
with  Pink,  we  were  left  out  of  the  grave  and 
owly  council  of  medicine  men.  Well,  the  up 
shot  of  the  whole  matter  was  that  Pink  was 
put  in  charge  of  the  herd,  and  a  better  foreman 
I  never  worked  under.  We  reached  the  com 
pany's  Yellowstone  range  early  in  the  fall, 
counted  over  and  bade  our  dogies  good-by, 
and  rode  into  headquarters.  That  night  I  talked 


"BAD   MEDICINE"  67 

with  the  regular  men  on  the  ranch,  and  it  was 
there  that  I  found  out  that  a  first-class  cow 
hand  could  get  in  four  months'  haying  in  the 
summer  and  the  same  feeding  it  out  in  the 
winter.  But  don't  you  forget  it,  she 's  a  cow 
country  all  right.  I  always  was  such  a  poor 
hand  afoot  that  I  passed  up  that  country,  and 
here  I  am  a  '  boomer.' ' 

"  Well,  boom  if  you  want,"  said  Tom  Roll, 
"  but  do  you  all  remember  what  the  governor 
of  North  Carolina  said  to  the  governor  of  South 
Carolina?" 

"  It  is  quite  a  long  time  between  drinks," 
remarked  Joe,  rising,  "  but  I  did  n't  want  to 
interrupt  Ace." 

As  we  lined  up  at  the  bar,  Ace  held  up  a 
glass  two  thirds  full,  and  looking  at  it  in  a 
meditative  mood,  remarked:  "Isn't  it  funny 
how  little  of  this  stuff  it  takes  to  make  a  fel 
low  feel  rich !  Why,  four  bits'  worth  under  his 
belt,  and  the  President  of  the  United  States 
can't  hire  him." 

As  we  strolled  out  into  the  street,  Joe  in 
quired,  "Ace,  where  will  I  see  you  after 
supper? " 

"  You  will  see  me,  not  only  after  supper,  but 
all  during  supper,  sitting  right  beside  you." 


IV 
A  WINTER  ROUND-UP 

AN  hour  before  daybreak  one  Christ 
mas  morning  in  the  Cherokee  Strip, 
six  hundred  horses  were  under  sad 
dle  awaiting  the  dawn.  It  was  a  clear,  frosty 
morning  that  bespoke  an  equally  clear  day 
for  the  wolf  rodeo.  Every  cow-camp  within 
striking  distance  of  the  Walnut  Grove,  on  the 
Salt  Fork  of  the  Cimarron,  was  a  scene  of  ac 
tivity,  taxing  to  the  utmost  its  hospitality  to 
man  and  horse.  There  had  been  a  hearty 
response  to  the  invitation  to  attend  the  circle 
drive-hunt  of  this  well-known  shelter  of  sev 
eral  bands  of  gray  wolves.  The  cowmen  had 
suffered  so  severely  in  time  past  from  this 
enemy  of  cattle  that  the  Cherokee  Strip  Cat 
tle  Association  had  that  year  offered  a  bounty 
of  twenty  dollars  for  wolf  scalps. 

The  lay  of  the  land  was  extremely  favor 
able.  The  Walnut  Grove  was  a  thickety 
covert  on  the  north  first  bottom  of  the  Cimar 
ron,  and  possibly  two  miles  wide  by  three 
long.  Across  the  river,  and  extending  several 
miles  above  and  below  this  grove,  was  the  salt 


A  WINTER   ROUND-UP  69 

plain  —  an  alkali  desert  which  no  wild  ani 
mal,  ruminant  or  carnivorous,  would  attempt 
to  cross,  instinct  having  warned  it  of  its  dan 
ger.  At  the  termination  of  the  grove  proper, 
down  the  river  or  to  the  eastward,  was  a 
sand  dune  bottom  of  several  miles,  covered 
by  wild  plum  brush,  terminating  in  a  per 
fect  horseshoe  a  thousand  acres  in  extent, 
the  entrance  of  which  was  about  a  mile  wide. 
After  passing  the  grove,  this  plum-brush  coun 
try  could  be  covered  by  men  on  horseback, 
though  the  chaparral  undergrowth  of  the 
grove  made  the  use  of  horses  impracticable. 
The  Cimarron  River,  which  surrounds  this 
horseshoe  on  all  sides  but  the  entrance,  was 
probably  two  hundred  yards  wide  at  an  aver 
age  winter  stage,  deep  enough  to  swim  a 
horse,  and  cold  and  rolling. 

Across  the  river,  opposite  this  horseshoe, 
was  a  cut-bank  twenty  feet  high  in  places, 
with  only  an  occasional  cattle  trail  leading 
down  to  the  water.  This  cut-bank  formed 
the  second  bottom  on  that  side,  and  the  alka 
line  plain  —  the  first  bottom  —  ended  a  mile 
or  more  up  the  river.  It  was  an  ideal  situation 
for  a  drive-hunt,  and  legend,  corroborated  by 
evidences,  said  that  the  Cherokees,  when  they 
used  this  outlet  as  a  hunting-ground  after  their 
enforced  emigration  from  Georgia,  had  held 


yo  CATTLE  BRANDS 

numerous  circle  hunts  over  the  same  ground 
after  buffalo,  deer,  and  elk. 

The  rendezvous  was  to  be  at  ten  o'clock 
on  Encampment  Butte,  a  plateau  overlook 
ing  the  entire  hunting-field  and  visible  for 
miles.  An  hour  before  the  appointed  time 
the  clans  began  to  gather.  All  the  camps 
within  twenty-five  miles,  and  which  were 
entertaining  participants  of  the  hunt,  put  in 
a  prompt  appearance.  Word  was  received 
early  that  morning  that  a  contingent  from  the 
Eagle  Chief  would  be  there,  and  begged  that 
the  start  be  delayed  till  their  arrival.  A  num 
ber  of  old  cowmen  were  present,  and  to  them 
was  delegated  the  duty  of  appointing  the  of 
ficers  of  the  day.  Bill  Miller,  a  foreman  on 
the  Coldwater  Pool,  an  adjoining  range,  was 
appointed  as  first  captain.  There  were  also 
several  captains  over  divisions,  and  an  acting 
captain  placed  over  every  ten  men,  who  would 
be  held  accountable  for  any  disorder  allowed 
along  the  line  under  his  special  charge. 

The  question  of  forbidding  the  promiscuous 
carrying  of  firearms  met  with  decided  oppo 
sition.  There  was  an  element  of  danger,  it 
was  true,  but  to  deprive  any  of  the  boys  of 
arms  on  what  promised  an  exciting  day's 
sport  was  contrary  to  their  creed  and  occu 
pation;  besides,  their  judicious  use  would  be 


A  WINTER  ROUND-UP  71 

an  essential  and  valuable  assistance.  To  deny 
one  the  right  and  permit  another,  would  have 
been  to  divide  their  forces  against  a  common 
enemy;  so  in  the  interests  of  harmony  it  was 
finally  concluded  to  assign  an  acting  captain 
over  every  ten  men.  "I'll  be  perfectly  re 
sponsible  for  any  of  my  men,"  said  Reese, 
a  red-headed  Welsh  cowman  from  over  on 
Black  Bear.  "  Let 's  just  turn  our  wild  selves 
loose,  and  those  wolves  won't  stand  any  more 
show  than  a  coon  in  a  bear  dance." 

"  It  would  be  fine  satisfaction  to  be  shot 
by  a  responsible  man  like  you  or  any  of  your 
outfit,"  replied  Hollycott,  superintendent  of 
the  "  L  X."  "  I  hope  another  Christmas  Day 
to  help  eat  a  plum  pudding  on  the  banks  of 
the  Dee,  and  I  don't  want  to  be  carrying  any 
of  your  stray  lead  in  my  carcass  either.  Did 
you  hear  me  ?  " 

"Yes;  we're  going  to  have  egg-nog  at  our 
camp  to-night.  Come  down." 

The  boys  were  being  told  off  in  squads  of 
ten,  when  a  suppressed  shout  of  welcome 
arose,  as  a  cavalcade  of  horsemen  was  sighted 
coming  over  the  divide  several  miles  distant. 
Before  the  men  were  allotted  and  their  captains 
appointed,  the  last  expected  squad  had  arrived, 
their  horses  frosty  and  sweaty.  They  were  all 
well  known  west  end  Strippers,  numbering 


72  CATTLE   BRANDS 

fifty-four  men  and  having  ridden  from  the 
Eagle  Chief,  thirty-five  miles,  starting  two 
hours  before  daybreak. 

With  the  arrival  of  this  detachment,  Miller 
gave  his  orders  for  the  day.  Tom  Cave  was 
given  two  hundred  men  and  sent  to  the  upper 
end  of  the  grove,  where  they  were  to  dismount, 
form  in  a  half  circle  skirmish-line  covering  the 
width  of  the  thicket,  and  commence  the  drive 
down  the  river.  Their  saddle  horses  were  to  be 
cut  into  two  bunches  and  driven  down  on  either 
side  of  the  grove,  and  to  be  in  readiness  for 
the  men  when  they  emerged  from  the  chapar 
ral,  four  of  the  oldest  men  being  detailed  as 
horse  wranglers.  Reese  was  sent  with  a  hun 
dred  and  fifty  men  to  left  flank  the  grove, 
deploying  his  men  as  far  back  as  the  second 
bottom,  and  close  his  line  as  the  drive  moved 
forward.  Billy  Edwards  was  sent  with  twenty 
picked  men  down  the  river  five  miles  to  the 
old  beef  ford  at  the  ripples.  His  instructions 
were  to  cross  and  scatter  his  men  from  the 
ending  of  the  salt  plain  to  the  horseshoe,  and 
to  concentrate  them  around  it  at  the  termina 
tion  of  the  drive.  He  was  allowed  the  best 
ropers  and  a  number  of  shotguns,  to  be  sta 
tioned  at  the  cattle  trails  leading  down  to  the 
water  at  the  river's  bend.  The  remainder, 
about  two  hundred  and  fifty  men  under  Lynch, 


A  WINTER  ROUND-UP  73 

formed  a  long  scattering  line  from  the  left  en 
trance  of  the  horseshoe,  extending  back  until 
it  met  the  advancing  line  of  Reese's  pickets. 

With  the  river  on  one  side  and  this  cordon 
of  foot  and  horsemen  on  the  other,  it  seemed 
that  nothing  could  possibly  escape.  The  loca 
tion  of  the  quarry  was  almost  assured.  This 
chaparral  had  been  the  breeding  refuge  of 
wolves  ever  since  the  Cimarron  was  a  cattle 
country.  Every  rider  on  that  range  for  the 
past  ten  years  knew  it  to  be  the  rendezvous 
of  El  Lobo,  while  the  ravages  of  his  nightly 
raids  were  in  evidence  for  forty  miles  in  every 
direction.  It  was  a  common  sight,  early  in 
the  morning  during  the  winter  months,  to  see 
twenty  and  upward  in  a  band,  leisurely  return 
ing  to  their  retreat,  logy  and  insolent  after  a 
night's  raid.  To  make  doubly  sure  that  they 
would  be  at  home  to  callers,  the  promoters 
of  this  drive  gathered  a  number  of  worthless 
lump-jawed  cattle  two  days  in  advance,  and 
driving  them  to  the  edge  of  the  grove,  shot 
one  occasionally  along  its  borders,  thus,  to  be 
hoped,  spreading  the  last  feast  of  the  wolves. 

By  half  past  ten,  Encampment  Butte  was 
deserted  with  the  exception  of  a  few  old  cow 
men,  two  ladies,  wife  and  sister  of  a  popular 
cowman,  and  the  captain,  who  from  this  point 


74  CATTLE  BRANDS 

of  vantage  surveyed  the  field  with  a  glass. 
Usually  a  languid  and  indifferent  man,  Miller 
had  so  set  his  heart  on  making  this  drive  a 
success  that  this  morning  he  appeared  alert 
and  aggressive  as  he  rode  forward  and  back 
across  the  plateau  of  the  Butte.  The  dull, 
heavy  reports  of  several  shotguns  caused  him 
to  wheel  his  horse  and  cover  the  beef  ford 
with  his  glass,  and  a  moment  later  Edwards 
and  his  squad  were  seen  with  the  naked  eye  to 
scale  the  bank  and  strike  up  the  river  at  a  gal 
lop.  It  was  known  that  the  ford  was  saddle- 
skirt  deep,  and  some  few  of  the  men  were 
strangers  to  it;  but  with  that  passed  safely  he 
felt  easier,  though  his  blood  coursed  quicker. 
It  lacked  but  a  few  minutes  to  eleven,  and 
Cave  and  his  detachment  of  beaters  were  due 
to  move  on  the  stroke  of  the  hour.  They  had 
been  given  one  hundred  rounds  of  six-shooter 
ammunition  to  the  man  and  were  expected  to 
use  it.  Edwards  and  his  cavalcade  were  ap 
proaching  the  horseshoe,  the  cordon  seemed 
perfect,  though  scattering,  when  the  first  faint 
sound  of  the  beaters  was  heard,  and  the  next 
moment  the  barking  of  two  hundred  six-shoot 
ers  was  reechoing  up  and  down  the  valley  of 
the  Salt  Fork. 

The  drive-hunt  was  on;  the  long  yell  passed 
from  the  upper  end  of  the  grove  to  the  mouth 


A  WINTER  ROUND-UP  75 

of  the  horseshoe  and  back,  punctuated  with 
an  occasional  shot  by  irrepressibles.  The 
mounts  of  the  day  were  the  pick  of  over  five 
thousand  cow-horses,  and  corn-fed  for  winter 
use,  in  the  pink  of  condition  and  as  impatient 
for  the  coming  fray  as  their  riders. 

Everything  was  moving  like  clockwork. 
Miller  forsook  the  Butte  and  rode  to  the  upper 
end  of  the  grove;  the  beaters  were  making 
slow  but  steady  progress,  while  the  saddled 
loose  horses  would  be  at  hand  for  their  riders 
without  any  loss  of  time.  Before  the  beaters 
were  one  third  over  the  ground,  a  buck  and 
doe  came  out  about  halfway  down  the  grove, 
sighted  the  horsemen,  and  turned  back  for 
shelter.  Once  more  the  long  yell  went  down 
the  line.  Game  had  been  sighted.  When  about 
one  half  the  grove  had  been  beat,  a  flock  of 
wild  turkeys  came  out  at  the  lower  end,  and 
taking  flight,  sailed  over  the  line.  Pandemo 
nium  broke  out.  Good  resolutions  of  an  hour's 
existence  were  converted  into  paving  material 
in  the  excitement  of  the  moment,  as  every  car 
bine  or  six-shooter  in  or  out  of  range  rained 
its  leaden  hail  at  the  flying  covey.  One  fine 
bird  was  accidentally  winged,  and  half  a  dozen 
men  broke  from  the  line  to  run  it  down,  one 
of  whom  was  Reese  himself.  The  line  was  not 
dangerously  broken  nor  did  harm  result,  and 


76  CATTLE  BRANDS 

on  their  return  Miller  was  present  and  ad 
dressed  this  query  to  Reese:  "Who  is  the 
captain  of  this  flank  line  ?  " 

"  He  '11  weigh  twenty  pounds,"  said  Reese, 
ignoring  the  question  and  holding  the  gobbler 
up  for  inspection. 

"  If  you  were  a  vealy  tow-headed  kid,  I  'd 
have  something  to  say  to  you,  but  you  're  old 
enough  to  be  my  father,  and  that  silences  me. 
But  try  and  remember  that  this  is  a  wolf  hunt, 
and  that  there  are  enough  wolves  in  that  brush 
this  minute  to  kill  ten  thousand  dollars'  worth 
of  cattle  this  winter  and  spring,  and  some  of 
them  will  be  your  own.  That  turkey  might 
eat  a  few  grasshoppers,  but  you  're  cowman 
enough  to  know  that  a  wolf  just  loves  to  kill 
a  cow  while  she  's  calving." 

This  lecture  was  interrupted  by  a  long  cheer 
coming  up  the  line  from  below,  and  Miller 
galloped  away  to  ascertain  its  cause.  He  met 
Lynch  coming  up,  who  reported  that  several 
wolves  had  been  sighted,  while  at  the  lower 
end  of  the  line  some  of  the  boys  had  been  try 
ing  their  guns  up  and  down  the  river  to  see 
how  far  they  would  carry.  What  caused  the 
recent  shouting  was  only  a  few  fool  cowboys 
spurting  their  horses  in  short  races.  He 
further  expressed  the  opinion  that  the  line 
would  hold,  and  at  the  close  with  the  cordon 


A  WINTER   ROUND-UP  77 

thickened,  everything  would  be  forced  into 
the  pocket.  Miller  rode  back  down  the  line 
with  him  until  he  met  a  man  from  his  own 
camp,  and  the  two  changing  horses,  he  hur 
ried  back  to  oversee  personally  the  mounting 
of  the  beaters  when  the  grove  had  been  passed. 

Reese,  after  the  captain's  reproof,  turned  his 
trophy  over  to  some  of  the  men,  and  was 
bringing  his  line  down  and  closing  up  with  the 
forward  movement  of  the  drive.  On  Miller's 
return,  no  fault  could  be  found,  as  the  line  was 
condensed  to  about  a  mile  in  length,  while  the 
beaters  on  the  points  were  just  beginning  to 
emerge  from  the  chaparral  and  anxious  for 
their  horses.  Once  clear  of  the  grove,  the 
beaters  halted,  maintaining  their  line,  while 
from  either  end  the  horse  wranglers  were  dis 
tributing  to  them  their  mounts.  Again  secure 
in  their  saddles,  the  long  yell  circled  through 
the  plum  thickets  and  reechoed  down  the 
line,  and  the  drive  moved  forward  at  a  quicker 
pace.  "  If  you  have  any  doubts  about  hell," 
said  Cave  to  Miller,  as  the  latter  rode  by,  "just 
take  a  little  pasear  through  that  thicket  once 
and  you  '11  come  out  a  defender  of  the  faith." 

The  buck  and  doe  came  out  within  sight  of 
the  line  once  more,  lower  down  opposite  the 
sand  dunes,  and  again  turned  back,  and  a  half 
hour^ater  all  ears  were  strained  listening  to 


78  CATTLE  BRANDS 

the  rapid  shooting  from  the  farther  bank  of  the 
river.  Rebuffed  in  their  several  attempts  to 
force  the  line,  they  had  taken  to  the  water  and 
were  swimming  the  river.  From  several  sand 
dunes  their  landing  on  the  opposite  bank  near 
the  ending  of  the  salt  plain  could  be  distinctly 
seen.  As  they  came  out  of  the  river,  half  a 
dozen  six-shooters  were  paying  them  a  salute 
in  lead ;  but  the  excitability  of  the  horses  made 
aim  uncertain,  and  they  rounded  the  cut-bank 
at  the  upper  end  and  escaped. 

While  the  deer  were  making  their  escape, 
a  band  of  antelope  were  sighted  sunning  them 
selves  amongst  the  sand  dunes  a  mile  below; 
attracted  by  the  shooting,  they  were  standing 
at  attention.  Now  when  an  antelope  scents 
danger,  he  has  an  unreasonable  and  unexplain- 
able  desire  to  reach  high  ground,  where  he 
can  observe  and  be  observed  —  at  a  distance. 
Once  this  conclusion  has  been  reached,  he 
allows  nothing  to  stop  him,  not  even  recently 
built  wire  fences  or  man  himself,  and  like  the 
cat  despises  water  except  for  drinking  pur 
poses.  So  when  this  band  of  antelope  decided 
to  adjourn  their  siesta  from  the  warm,  sunny 
slope  of  a  sand  dune_,  they  made  an  effort  and 
did  break  the  cordon,  but  not  without  a  pro 
test. 

As  they  came  out  of  the  sand  dunes,  head- 


A  WINTER  ROUND-UP          79 

ing  straight  for  the  line,  all  semblance  of  con 
trol  was  lost  in  the  men.  Nothing  daunted 
by  tne  yelling  that  greeted  the  antelope,  once 
they  came  within  range  fifty  men  were  shoot 
ing  at  them  without  bringing  one  to  grass. 
With  guns  empty  they  loosened  their  ropes 
and  met  them.  A  dozen  men  made  casts,  and 
Juan  Mesa,  a  Mexican  from  the  Eagle  Chief, 
lassoed  a  fine  buck,  while  "  Pard  "  Sevenoaks, 
from  the  J+H,  fastened  to  the  smallest  one 
in  the  band.  He  was  so  disgusted  with  his 
catch  that  he  dismounted,  ear-marked  the  kid, 
and  let  it  go.  Mesa  had  made  his  cast  with  so 
large  a  loop  that  one  fore  leg  of  the  antelope 
had  gone  through,  and  it  was  struggling  so 
desperately  that  he  was  compelled  to  tie  the 
rope  in  a  hard  knot  to  the  pommel  of  his  sad 
dle.  His  horse  was  a  wheeler  on  the  rope,  so 
Juan  dismounted  to  pet  his  buck.  While  he 
held  on  to  the  rope  assisting  his  horse,  an  Eagle 
Chief  man  slipped  up  and  cut  the  rope  through 
the  knot,  and  the  next  moment  a  Mexican  was 
burning  the  grass,  calling  on  saints  and  others 
to  come  and  help  him  turn  the  antelope  loose. 
When  the  rope  had  burned  its  way  through  his 
gloved  hands,  he  looked  at  them  in  astonish 
ment,  saying,  "That  was  one  bravo  buck. 
How  come  thees  rope  untie?  "  But  there  was 
none  to  explain,  and  an  antelope  was  dragging 


8o  CATTLE   BRANDS 

thirty-five  feet  of  rope  in  a  frantic  endeavor 
to  overtake  his  band. 

The  line  had  been  closing  gradually  until 
at  this  juncture  it  had  been  condensed  to  about 
five  miles,  or  a  horseman  to  every  fifty  feet. 
Wolves  had  been  sighted  numerous  times  run 
ning  from  covert  to  covert,  but  few  had  shown 
themselves  to  the  flank  line,  being  contented 
with  such  shelter  as  the  scraggy  plum  brush 
afforded.  Whenever  the  beaters  would  rout  or 
sight  a  wolf,  the  yelling  would  continue  up  and 
down  the  line  for  several  minutes.  Cave  and 
his  well-formed  circle  of  beaters  were  making 
good  time;  Reese  on  the  left  flank  was  clos 
ing  and  moving  forward,  while  the  line  under 
Lynch  was  as  impatient  as  it  was  hilarious. 
Miller  made  the  circle  every  half  hour  or  so; 
and  had  only  to  mention  it  to  pick  any  horse 
he  wanted  from  the  entire  line  for  a  change. 

By  one  o'clock  the  drive  had  closed  to  the 
entrance  of  the  pocket,  and  within  a  mile  and 
a  half  of  the  termination.  There  was  yet 
enough  cover  to  hide  the  quarry,  though  the 
extreme  point  of  this  horseshoe  was  a  sand 
bar  with  no  shelter  except  driftwood  trees. 
Edwards  and  his  squad  were  at  their  post 
across  the  river,  in  plain  view  of  the  advancing 
line.  Suddenly  they  were  seen  to  dismount 
and  lie  down  on  the  brink  of  the  cut-bank.  A 


A  WINTER   ROUND-UP          81 

few  minutes  later  chaos  broke  out  along  the 
line,  when  a  band  of  possibly  twenty  wolves 
left  their  cover  and  appeared  on  the  sand  bar. 
A  few  rifle  shots  rang  out  from  the  opposite 
bank,  when  they  skurried  back  to  cover. 

Shooting  was  now  becoming  dangerous.  In 
the  line  was  a  horseman  every  ten  or  twelve 
feet.  All  the  captains  rode  up  and  down  beg 
ging  the  men  to  cease  shooting  entirely.  This 
only  had  a  temporary  effect,  for  shortly  the  last 
bit  of  cover  was  passed,  and  there  within  four 
hundred  yards  on  the  bar  was  a  snarling,  snap 
ping  band  of  gray  wolves. 

The  line  was  halted.  The  unlooked-for  ques 
tion  now  arose  how  to  make  the  kill  safe  and 
effective.  It  would  be  impossible  to  shoot 
from  the  opposite  bank  without  endangering 
the  line  of  men  and  horses.  Finally  a  small 
number  of  rifles  were  advanced  on  the  ex 
treme  left  flank  to  within  two  hundred  yards 
of  the  quarry,  where  they  opened  fire  at  an 
angle  from  the  watchers  on  the  opposite  bank. 
They  proved  poor  marksmen,  overshooting, 
and  only  succeeded  in  wounding  a  few  and 
forcing  several  to  take  to  the  water,  so  that  it 
became  necessary  to  recall  the  men  to  the  line. 

These  men  were  now  ordered  to  dismount 
and  lie  down,  as  the  opposite  side  would  take 
a  hand  when  the  swimming  wolves  came 


82  CATTLE   BRANDS 

within  range  of  shotguns  and  carbines,  to  say 
nothing  of  six-shooters.  The  current  carried 
the  swimming  ones  down  the  river,  but  every 
man  was  in  readiness  to  give  them  a  welcome. 
The  fusillade  which  greeted  them  was  like  a 
skirmish-line  in  action,  but  the  most  effective 
execution  was  with  buckshot  as  they  came 
staggering  and  water-soaked  out  of  the  water. 
Before  the  shooting  across  the  river  had 
ceased,  a  yell  of  alarm  surged  through  the 
line,  and  the  next  moment  every  man  was 
climbing  into  his  saddle  and  bringing  his  arms 
into  position  for  action.  No  earthly  power 
could  have  controlled  the  men,  for  coming  at 
the  line  less  than  two  hundred  yards  distant 
was  the  corralled  band  of  wolves  under  the 
leadership  of  a  monster  dog  wolf,  evidently  a 
leader  of  some  band,  and  every  gun  within 
range  opened  on  them.  By  the  time  they  had 
lessened  the  intervening  distance  by  one  half, 
the  entire  band  deserted  their  leader  and  re 
treated,  but  unmindful  of  consequences  he 
rushed  forward  at  the  line.  Every  gun  was 
belching  fire  and  lead  at  him,  while  tufts  of 
fur  floating  in  the  air  told  that  several  shots 
were  effective.  Wounded  he  met  the  horse 
men,  striking  right  and  left  in  splendid  sav 
age  ferocity.  The  horses  snorted  and  shrank 
from  him,  and  several  suffered  from  his  ugly 


A  WINTER  ROUND-UP  83 

thrusts.  An  occasional  effective  shot  was 
placed,  but  every  time  he  forced  his  way 
through  the  cordon  he  was  confronted  by  a 
second  line.  A  successful  cast  of  a  rope 
finally  checked  his  course;  and  as  the  roper 
wheeled  his  mount  to  drag  him  to  death,  he 
made  his  last  final  rush  at  the  horse,  and, 
springing  at  the  flank,  fastened  his  fangs  into 
a  stirrup  fender,  when  a  well-directed  shot  by 
the  roper  silenced  him  safely  at  last. 

During  the  excitement,  there  were  enough 
cool  heads  to  maintain  the  line,  so  that  none 
escaped.  The  supreme  question  now  was  to 
make  the  kill  with  safety,  and  the  line  was 
ransacked  for  volunteers  who  could  shoot  a 
rifle  with  some  little  accuracy.  About  a  dozen 
were  secured,  who  again  advanced  on  the  ex 
treme  right  flank  to  within  a  hundred  and  fifty 
yards,  and  dismounting,  flattened  themselves 
out  and  opened  on  the  skurrying  wolves.  It 
was  afterward  attributed  to  the  glaring  of  the 
sun  on  the  white  sand,  which  made  their 
marksmanship  so  shamefully  poor,  but  results 
were  very  unsatisfactory.  They  were  recalled, 
and  it  was  decided  to  send  in  four  shotguns 
and  try  the  effect  of  buckshot  from  horseback. 
This  move  was  disastrous,  though  final. 

They  were  ordinary  double-barreled  shot 
guns,  and  reloading  was  slow  in  an  emer- 


84  CATTLE  BRANDS 

gency.  Many  of  the  wolves  were  wounded 
and  had  sought  such  cover  as  the  driftwood 
afforded.  The  experiment  had  barely  begun, 
when  a  wounded  wolf  sprang  out  from  be 
hind  an  old  root,  and  fastened  upon  the  neck 
of  one  of  the  horses  before  the  rider  could 
defend  himself,  and  the  next  moment  horse 
and  rider  were  floundering  on  the  ground. 
To  a  man,  the  line  broke  to  the  rescue, 
while  the  horses  of  the  two  lady  spectators 
were  carried  into  the  melee  in  the  excitement. 
The  dogs  of  war  were  loosed.  Hell  popped. 
The  smoke  of  six  hundred  guns  arose  in 
clouds.  There  were  wolves  swimming  the 
river  and  wolves  trotting  around  amongst 
the  horses,  wounded  and  bewildered.  Ropes 
swished  through  the  smoke,  tying  wounded 
wolves  to  be  dragged  to  death  or  trampled 
under  hoof.  Men  dismounted  and  clubbed 
them  with  shotguns  and  carbines,  —  anything 
to  administer  death.  Horses  were  powder- 
burnt  and  cried  with  fear,  or  neighed  exult- 
ingly.  There  was  an  old  man  or  two  who  had 
sense  enough  to  secure  the  horses  of  the  ladies 
and  lead  them  out  of  immediate  danger.  Sev 
eral  wolves  made  their  escape,  and  squads  of 
horsemen  were  burying  cruel  rowels  in  heav 
ing  flanks  in  an  endeavor  to  overtake  and 
either  rope  or  shoot  the  fleeing  animals. 


A  WINTER  ROUND-UP  85 

Disordered  things  as  well  as  ordered  ones 
have  an  end,  and  when  sanity  returned  to  the 
mob  an  inventory  was  taken  of  the  drive- 
hunt.  By  actual  count,  the  lifeless  carcases 
of  twenty-six  wolves  graced  the  sand  bar, 
with  several  precincts  to  hear  from.  The  pro 
moters  of  the  hunt  thanked  the  men  for  their 
assistance,  assuring  them  that  the  bounty 
money  would  be  used  to  perfect  arrange 
ments,  so  that  in  other  years  a  banquet  would 
crown  future  hunts.  Before  the  hunt  dis 
persed,  Edwards  and  his  squad  returned  to 
the  brink  of  the  cut-bank,  and  when  hailed  as 
to  results,  he  replied,  "  Why,  we  only  got 
seven,  but  they  are  all  muy  dociL  We  're 
going  to  peel  them  and  will  meet  you  at  the 
ford." 

"Who  gets  the  turkey?"  some  one  asked. 

"The  question  is  out  of  order,"  replied 
Reese.  "  The  property  is  not  present,  because 
I  sent  him  home  by  my  cook  an  hour  ago. 
If  any  of  you  have  any  interest  in  that  gob 
bler,  I  '11  invite  you  to  go  home  with  me  and 
help  to  eat  him,  for  my  camp  is  the  only  one 
in  the  Strip  that  will  have  turkey  and  egg-nog 
to-night." 


A   COLLEGE   VAGABOND 

THE  ease  and  apparent  willingness 
with  which  some  men  revert  to  an 
aimless  life  can  best  be  accounted 
for  by  the  savage  or  barbarian  instincts  of  our 
natures.  The  West  has  produced  many  types 
of  the  vagabond,  —  it  might  be  excusable  to 
say,  won  them  from  every  condition  of  society. 
From  the  cultured  East,  with  all  the  advan 
tages  which  wealth  and  educational  facilities 
can  give  to  her  sons,  they  flocked;  from  the 
South,  with  her  pride  of  ancestry,  they  came  ; 
even  the  British  Isles  contributed  their  quota. 
There  was  something  in  the  primitive  West 
of  a  generation  or  more  ago  which  satisfied 
them.  Nowhere  else  could  it  be  found,  and 
once  they  adapted  themselves  to  existing  con 
ditions,  they  were  loath  to  return  to  former 
associations. 

About  the  middle  of  the  fifties,  there  gradu 
ated  from  one  of  our  Eastern  colleges  a  young 
man  of  wealthy  and  distinguished  family. 
His  college  record  was  good,  but  close  appli 
cation  to  study  during  the  last  year  had  told 


A  COLLEGE   VAGABOND          87 

on  his  general  health.  His  ambition,  coupled 
with  a  laudable  desire  to  succeed,  had  buoyed 
up  his  strength  until  the  final  graduation  day 
had  passed. 

Alexander  Wells  had  the  advantage  of  a 
good  physical  constitution.  During  the  first 
year  at  college  his  reputation  as  an  athlete  had 
been  firmly  established  by  many  a  hard  fought 
contest  in  the  college  games.  The  last  two 
years  he  had  not  taken  an  active  part  in  them, 
as  his  studies  had  required  his  complete  atten 
tion.  On  his  return  home,  it  was  thought  by 
parents  and  sisters  that  rest  and  recreation 
would  soon  restore  the  health  of  this  over 
worked  young  graduate,  who  was  now  two 
years  past  his  majority.  Two  months  of  rest, 
however,  failed  to  produce  any  improvement, 
but  the  family  physician  would  not  admit  that 
there  was  immediate  danger,  and  declared  the 
trouble  simply  the  result  of  overstudy,  advis 
ing  travel.  This  advice  was  very  satisfactory 
to  the  young  man,  for  he  had  a  longing  to  see 
other  sections  of  the  country. 

The  elder  Wells  some  years  previously  had 
become  interested  in  western  and  southern 
real  estate,  and  among  other  investments  which 
he  had  made  was  the  purchase  of  an  old  Span 
ish  land  grant  on  a  stream  called  the  Salado, 
west  of  San  Antonio,  Texas.  These  land 


88  CATTLE  BRANDS 

grants  were  made  by  the  crown  of  Spain  to 
favorite  subjects.  They  were  known  by  name, 
which  they  always  retained  when  changing 
ownership.  Some  of  these  tracts  were  princely 
domains,  and  were  bartered  about  as  though 
worthless,  often  changing  owners  at  the  card- 
table. 

So  when  travel  was  suggested  to  Wells, 
junior,  he  expressed  a  desire  to  visit  this  fam 
ily  possession,  and  possibly  spend  a  winter  in 
its  warm  climate.  This  decision  was  more 
easily  reached  from  the  fact  that  there  was  an 
abundance  of  game  on  the  land,  and  being  a 
devoted  sportsman,  his  own  consent  was  se 
cured  in  advance.  No  other  reason  except 
that  of  health  would  ever  have  gained  the  con 
sent  of  his  mother  to  a  six  months'  absence. 
But  within  a  week  after  reaching  the  decision, 
the  young  man  had  left  New  York  and  was  on 
his  way  to  Texas.  His  route,  both  by  water 
and  rail,  brought  him  only  within  eighty  miles 
of  his  destination,  and  the  rest  of  the  distance 
he  was  obliged  to  travel  by  stage. 

San  Antonio  at  this  time  was  a  frontier  vil 
lage,  with  a  mixed  population,  the  Mexican 
being  the  most  prominent  inhabitant.  There 
was  much  to  be  seen  which  was  new  and  at 
tractive  to  the  young  Easterner,  and  he  tarried 
in  it  several  days,  enjoying  its  novel  and  pic- 


A   COLLEGE   VAGABOND         89 

turesque  life.  The  arrival  and  departure  of 
the  various  stage  lines  for  the  accommodation 
of  travelers  like  himself  was  of  more  than 
passing  interest.  They  rattled  in  from  Austin 
and  Laredo.  They  were  sometimes  late  from 
El  Paso,  six  hundred  miles  to  the  westward. 
Probably  a  brush  with  the  Indians,  or  the 
more  to  be  dreaded  Mexican  bandits  (for  these 
stages  carried  treasure  —  gold  and  silver,  the 
currency  of  the  country),  was  the  cause  of  the 
delay.  Frequently  they  carried  guards,  whose 
presence  was  generally  sufficient  to  command 
the  respect  of  the  average  robber. 

Then  there  were  the  freight  trains,  the  mo 
tive  power  of  which  was  mules  and  oxen.  It 
was  necessary  to  carry  forward  supplies  and 
bring  back  the  crude  products  of  the  country. 
The  Chihuahua  wagon  was  drawn  sometimes 
by  twelve,  sometimes  by  twenty  mules,  four 
abreast  in  the  swing,  the  leaders  and  wheelers 
being  single  teams.  For  mutual  protection 
trains  were  made  up  of  from  ten  to  twenty 
wagons.  Drivers  frequently  meeting  a  chance 
acquaintance  going  in  an  opposite  direction 
would  ask,  "  What  is  your  cargo  ?  "  and  the 
answer  would  be  frankly  given,  "  Specie." 
Many  a  Chihuahua  wagon  carried  three  or 
four  tons  of  gold  and  silver,  generally  the  lat 
ter.  Here  was  a  new  book  for  this  college  lad, 


go  CATTLE  BRANDS 

one  he  had  never  studied,  though  it  was  more 
interesting  to  him  than  some  he  had  read. 
There  was  something  thrilling  in  all  this  new 
life.  He  liked  it.  The  romance  was  real;  it 
was  not  an  imitation.  People  answered  his 
few  questions  and  asked  none  in  return. 

In  this  frontier  village  at  a  late  hour  one 
night  young  Wells  overheard  this  conversa 
tion:  "Hello,  Bill,"  said  the  case-keeper  in 
a  faro  game,  as  he  turned  his  head  halfway 
round  to  see  who  was  the  owner  of  the  mon 
ster  hand  which  had  just  reached  over  his 
shoulder  and  placed  a  stack  of  silver  dollars 
on  a  card,  marking  it  to  win,  "  I  've  missed 
you  the  last  few  days.  Where  have  you  been 
so  long?" 

"  Oh,  I  Ve  just  been  out  to  El  Paso  on  a 
little  pasear  guarding  the  stage,"  was  the 
reply.  Now  the  little  pasear  was  a  continuous 
night  and  day  round-trip  of  twelve  hundred 
miles.  Bill  had  slept  and  eaten  as  he  could. 
When  mounted,  he  scouted  every  possible 
point  of  ambush  for  lurking  Indian  or  bandit. 
Crossing  open  stretches  of  country,  he  climbed 
up  on  the  stage  and  slept.  Now  having  re 
turned,  he  was  anxious  to  get  his  wages  into 
circulation.  Here  were  characters  worthy  of 
a  passing  glance. 

Interesting  as  this  frontier  life  was  to  the 


A  COLLEGE   VAGABOND         91 

young  man,  he  prepared  for  his  final  destina 
tion.  He  had  no  trouble  in  locating  his  fa 
ther's  property,  for  it  was  less  than  twenty 
miles  from  San  Antonio.  Securing  an  Amer 
ican  who  spoke  Spanish,  the  two  set  out  on 
horseback.  There  were  several  small  ranchi- 
tos  on  the  tract,  where  five  or  six  Mexican 
families  lived.  Each  family  had  a  field  and 
raised  corn  for  bread.  A  flock  of  goats  fur 
nished  them  milk  and  meat.  The  same  class 
of  people  in  older  States  were  called  squat 
ters,  making  no  claim  to  ownership  of  the 
land.  They  needed  little  clothing,  the  climate 
being  in  their  favor. 

The  men  worked  at  times.  The  pecan  crop 
which  grew  along  the  creek  bottoms  was  be 
ginning  to  have  a  value  in  the  coast  towns  for 
shipment  to  northern  markets,  and  this  fur 
nished  them  revenue  for  their  simple  needs. 
All  kinds  of  game  was  in  abundance,  includ 
ing  waterfowl  in  winter,  though  winter  here 
was  only  such  in  name.  These  simple  people 
gave  a  welcome  to  the  New  Yorker*  which 
appeared  sincere.  They  offered  no  apology 
for  their  presence  on  this  land,  nor  was  such 
in  order,  for  it  was  the  custom  of  the  country. 
They  merely  referred  to  themselves  as  "  his 
people,"  as  though  belonging  to  the  land. 

When  they  learned  that  he  was  the  son  of 


92  CATTLE   BRANDS 

the  owner  of  the  grant,  and  that  he  wanted 
to  spend  a  few  months  hunting  and  looking 
about,  they  considered  themselves  honored. 
The  best  jacal  in  the  group  was  tendered  him 
and  his  interpreter.  The  food  offered  was 
something  new,  but  the  relish  with  which  his 
companion  partook  of  it  assisted  young  Wells 
in  overcoming  his  scruples,  and  he  ate  a  sup 
per  of  dishes  he  had  never  tasted  before.  The 
coffee  he  declared  was  delicious. 

On  the  advice  of  his  companion  they  had 
brought  along  blankets.  The  women  of  the 
ranchito  brought  other  bedding,  and  a  com 
fortable  bed  soon  awaited  the  Americanos. 
The  owner  of  the  jacal  in  the  mean  time  in 
formed  his  guest  through  the  interpreter  that 
he  had  sent  to  a  near-by  ranchito  for  a  man 
who  had  at  least  the  local  reputation  of  being 
quite  a  hunter.  During  the  interim,  while 
awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  man,  he  plied  his 
guest  with  many  questions  regarding  the  out 
side  world,  of  which  his  ideas  were  very  sim 
ple,  vague,  and  extremely  provincial.  His 
conception  of  distance  was  what  he  could 
ride  in  a  given  number  of  days  on  a  good 
pony.  His  ideas  of  wealth  were  no  improve 
ment  over  those  of  his  Indian  ancestors  of  a 
century  previous.  In  architecture,  the  jacal 
in  which  they  sat  satisfied  his  ideals. 


A   COLLEGE   VAGABOND          93 

The  footsteps  of  a  horse  interrupted  their 
conversation.  A  few  moments  later,  Tibur- 
cio,  the  hunter,  was  introduced  to  the  two 
Americans  with  a  profusion  of  politeness. 
There  was  nothing  above  the  ordinary  in  the 
old  hunter,  except  his  hair,  eyes,  and  swarthy 
complexion,  which  indicated  his  Aztec  ances 
try.  It  might  be  in  perfect  order  to  remark 
here  that  young  Wells  was  perfectly  com 
posed,  almost  indifferent  to  the  company  and 
surroundings.  He  shook  hands  with  Tibur- 
cio  in  a  manner  as  dignified,  yet  agreeable, 
as  though  he  was  the  governor  of  his  native 
State  or  the  minister  of  some  prominent 
church  at  home.  From  this  juncture,  he  at 
once  took  the  lead  in  the  conversation,  and 
kept  up  a  line  of  questions,  the  answers  to 
which  were  very  gratifying.  He  learned  that 
deer  were  very  plentiful  everywhere,  and  that 
on  this  very  tract  of  land  were  several  wild 
turkey  roosts,  where  it  was  no  trouble  to  bag 
any  number  desired.  On  the  prairie  portion  of 
the  surrounding  country  could  be  found  large 
droves  of  antelope.  During  drouthy  periods 
they  were  known  to  come  twenty  miles  to 
quench  their  thirst  in  the  Salado,  which  was 
the  main  watercourse  of  this  grant.  Once  Ti- 
burcio  assured  his  young  patron  that  he  had 
frequently  counted  a  thousand  antelope  during 


94  CATTLE  BRANDS 

a  single  morning.  Then  there  was  also  the 
javeline  or  peccary  which  abounded  in  endless 
numbers,  but  it  was  necessary  to  hunt  them 
with  dogs,  as  they  kept  the  thickets  and  came 
out  in  the  open  only  at  night.  Many  a  native  cur 
met  his  end  hunting  these  animals,  cut  to  pieces 
with  their  tusks,  so  that  packs,  trained  for  the 
purpose,  were  used  to  bay  them  until  the  hunter 
could  arrive  and  dispatch  them  with  a  rifle. 
Even  this  was  always  done  from  horseback, 
as  it  was  dangerous  to  approach  the  javeline, 
for  they  would,  when  aroused,  charge  any 
thing. 

All  this  was  gratifying  to  young  Wells, 
and  like  a  congenial  fellow,  he  produced  and 
showed  the  old  hunter  a  new  gun,  the  very 
latest  model  in.  the  market,  explaining  its  good 
qualities  through  his  interpreter.  Tiburcio 
handled  it  as  if  it  were  a  rare  bit  of  millinery, 
but  managed  to  ask  its  price  and  a  few  other 
questions.  Through  his  companion,  Wells 
then  engaged  the  old  hunter's  services  for 
the  following  day;  not  that  he  expected  to 
hunt,  but  he  wanted  to  acquaint  himself  with 
the  boundaries  of  the  land  and  to  become 
familiar  with  the  surrounding  country.  Nam 
ing  an  hour  for  starting  in  the  morning,  the 
two  men  shook  hands  and  bade  each  other 
good-night,  each  using  his  own  language  to 


A   COLLEGE   VAGABOND          95 

express  the  parting,  though  neither  one  knew 
a  word  the  other  said.  The  first  link  in  a 
friendship  not  soon  to  be  broken  had  been 
forged. 

Tiburcio  was  on  hand  at  the  appointed  hour 
in  the  morning,  and  being  joined  by  the  two 
Americans  they  rode  off  up  the  stream.  It  was 
October,  and  the  pecans,  they  noticed,  were 
already  falling,  as  they  passed  through  splendid 
groves  of  this  timber,  several  times  dismount 
ing  to  fill  their  pockets  with  nuts.  Tiburcio 
frequently  called  attention  to  fresh  deer  tracks 
near  the  creek  bottom,  and  shortly  afterward 
the  first  game  of  the  day  was  sighted.  Five  or 
six  does  and  grown  fawns  broke  cover  and 
ran  a  short  distance,  stopped,  looked  at  the 
horsemen,  and  then  capered  away. 

Riding  to  the  highest  ground  in  the  vicinity, 
they  obtained  a  splendid  view  of  the  stream, 
outlined  by  the  foliage  of  the  pecan  groves 
that  lined  its  banks  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
follow  either  way.  Tiburcio  pointed  out  one 
particular  grove  lying  three  or  four  miles  far 
ther  up  the  creek.  Here  he  said  was  a  cabin 
which  had  been  built  by  a  white  man  who  had 
left  it  several  years  ago,  and  which  he  had  often 
used  as  a  hunting  camp  in  bad  weather.  Feel 
ing  his  way  cautiously,  Wells  asked  the  old 
hunter  if  he  were  sure  that  this  cabin  was  on 


96  CATTLE   BRANDS 

and  belonged  to  the  grant.  Being  assured  on 
both  points,  he  then  inquired  if  there  was  any 
thing  to  hinder  him  from  occupying  the  hut 
for  a  few  months.  On  the  further  assurance 
that  there  was  no  man  to  dispute  his  right,  he 
began  plying  his  companions  with  questions. 
The  interpreter  told  him  that  it  was  a  very 
common  and  simple  thing  for  men  to  batch, 
enumerating  the  few  articles  he  would  need 
for  this  purpose. 

They  soon  reached  the  cabin,  which  proved 
to  be  an  improvement  over  the  ordinary  jacal 
of  the  country,  as  it  had  a  fireplace  and  chim 
ney.  It  was  built  of  logs;  the  crevices  were 
chinked  with  clay  for  mortar,  its  floor  being  of 
the  same  substance.  The  only  Mexican  feature 
it  possessed  was  the  thatched  roof.  While 
the  Americans  were  examining  it  and  its  sur 
roundings,  Tiburcio  unsaddled  the  horses, 
picketing  one  and  hobbling  the  other  two, 
kindled  a  fire,  and  prepared  a  lunch  from  some 
articles  he  had  brought  along.  The  meal,  con 
sisting  of  coffee,  chipped  venison,  and  a  thin 
wafer  bread  made  from  corn  and  reheated 
over  coals,  was  disposed  of  with  relish.  The 
two  Americans  sauntered  around  for  some 
distance,  and  on  their  return  to  the  cabin  found 
Tiburcio  enjoying  his  siesta  under  a  near-by 
pecan  tree. 


A   COLLEGE   VAGABOND          97 

Their  horses  refreshed  and  rested,  they 
resaddled,  crossing  the  stream,  intending  to 
return  to  the  ranchito  by  evening.  After  leav 
ing  the  bottoms  of  the  creek,  Tiburcio  showed 
the  young  man  a  trail  made  by  the  javeline, 
and  he  was  surprised  to  learn  that  an  animal 
with  so  small  a  foot  was  a  dangerous  antago 
nist,  on  account  of  its  gregarious  nature.  Pro 
ceeding  they  came  to  several  open  prairies, 
in  one  of  which  they  saw  a  herd  of  antelope, 
numbering  forty  to  fifty,  making  a  beautiful 
sight  as  they  took  fright  and  ran  away.  Young 
Wells  afterward  learned  that  distance  lent 
them  charms  and  was  the  greatest  factor  in 
their  beauty.  As  they  rode  from  one  vantage- 
point  to  another  for  the  purpose  of  sight-seeing, 
the  afternoon  passed  rapidly. 

Later,  through  the  interpreter  he  inquired 
of  Tiburcio  if  his  services  could  be  secured 
as  guide,  cook,  and  companion  for  the  winter, 
since  he  had  fully  made  up  his  mind  to  oc 
cupy  the  cabin.  Tiburcio  was  overjoyed  at  the 
proposition,  as  it  was  congenial  to  his  tastes, 
besides  carrying  a  compensation.  Definite 
arrangements  were  now  made  with  him,  and 
he  was  requested  to  be  on  hand  in  the  morn 
ing.  On  reaching  the  ranchito,  young  Wells's 
decision  was  announced  to  their  host  of  the 
night  previous,  much  to  the  latter's  satisfac- 


98  CATTLE  BRANDS 

tion.  During  the  evening  the  two  Americans 
planned  to  return  to  the  village  in  the  morn 
ing  for  the  needed  supplies.  Tiburcio  was  on 
hand  at  the  appointed  time,  and  here  uncon 
sciously  the  young  man  fortified  himself  in 
the  old  hunter's  confidence  by  intrusting  him 
with  the  custody  of  his  gun,  blankets,  and  sev 
eral  other  articles  until  he  should  return. 

A  week  later  found  the  young  hunter  estab 
lished  in  the  cabin  with  the  interpreter  and 
Tiburcio.  A  wagon-load  of  staple  supplies 
was  snugly  stored  away  for  future  use,  and 
they  were  at  peace  with  the  world.  By  pur 
chase  Wells  soon  had  several  saddle  ponies, 
and  the  old  hunter  adding  his  pack  of  javeline 
dogs,  they  found  themselves  well  equipped  for 
the  winter  campaign. 

Hunting,  in  which  the  young  man  was  an 
apt  scholar,  was  now  the  order  of  the  day. 
Tiburcio  was  an  artist  in  woodcraft  as  well 
as  in  his  knowledge  of  the  habits  of  animals 
and  birds.  On  chilly  or  disagreeable  days  they 
would  take  out  the  pack  of  dogs  and  beat  the 
thickets  for  the  javeline.  It  was  exciting  sport 
to  bring  to  bay  a  drove  of  these  animals.  To 
shoot  from  horseback  lent  a  charm,  yet  made 
aim  uncertain,  nor  was  it  advisable  to  get  too 
close  range.  Many  a  young  dog  made  a  fatal 
mistake  in  getting  too  near  this  little  animal, 


A  COLLEGE   VAGABOND         99 

and  the  doctoring  of  crippled  dogs  became  a 
daily  duty.  All  surplus  game  was  sent  to  the 
ranchito  below,  where  it  was  always  appre 
ciated. 

At  first  the  young  man  wrote  regularly  long 
letters  home,  but  as  it  took  Tiburcio  a  day  to 
go  to  the  post-office,  he  justified  himself  in 
putting  writing  off,  sometimes  several  weeks, 
because  it  ruined  a  whole  day  and  tired  out 
a  horse  to  mail  a  letter.  Hardships  were  en 
joyed.  They  thought  nothing  of  spending  a 
whole  night  going  from  one  turkey  roost  to 
another,  if  half  a  dozen  fine  birds  were  the 
reward.  They  would  saddle  up  in  the  even 
ing  and  ride  ten  miles,  sleeping  out  all  night 
by  a  fire  in  order  to  stalk  a  buck  at  daybreak, 
having  located  his  range  previously. 

Thus  the  winter  passed,  and  as  the  limit  of 
the  young  man's  vacation  was  near  at  hand, 
Wells  wrote  home  pleading  for  more  time, 
telling  his  friends  how  fast  he  was  improving, 
and  estimating  that  it  would  take  at  least  six 
months  more  to  restore  him  fully  to  his  for 
mer  health.  This  request  being  granted,  he 
contented  himself  by  riding  about  the  country, 
even  visiting  cattle  ranches  south  on  the  Frio 
River.  Now  and  then  he  would  ride  into  San 
Antonio  for  a  day  or  two,  but  there  was  no 
thing  new  to  be  seen  there,  and  his  visits  were 


loo  CATTLE  BRANDS 

brief.  He  had  acquired  a  sufficient  know 
ledge  of  Spanish  to  get  along  now  without  an 
interpreter. 

When  the  summer  was  well  spent,  he  be 
gan  to  devise  some  excuse  to  give  his  parents 
for  remaining  another  winter.  Accordingly 
he  wrote  his  father  what  splendid  opportuni 
ties  there  were  to  engage  in  cattle  ranching, 
going  into  detail  very  intelligently  in  regard 
to  the  grasses  on  the  tract  and  the  fine  op 
portunity  presented  for  establishing  a  ranch. 
The  water  privileges,  the  faithfulness  of  Tibur- 
cio,  and  other  minor  matters  were  fully  set 
forth,  and  he  concluded  by  advising  that  they 
buy  or  start  a  brand  of  cattle  on  this  grant. 
His  father's  reply  was  that  he  should  expect 
his  son  to  return  as  soon  as  the  state  of  his 
health  would  permit.  He  wished  to  be  a  duti 
ful  son,  yet  he  wished  to  hunt  just  one  more 
winter. 

So  he  felt  that  he  must  make  another  tack 
to  gain  his  point.  Following  letters  noted  no 
improvement  in  his  health.  Now,  as  the  hunt 
ing  season  was  near  at  hand,  he  found  it  con 
venient  to  bargain  with  a  renegade  doctor, 
who,  for  the  consideration  offered,  wrote  his 
parents  that  their  son  had  recently  consulted 
him  to  see  if  it  would  be  advisable  to  return 
to  a  rigorous  climate  in  his  present  condition. 


A   COLLEGE   VAGABOND        101 

Professionally  he  felt  compelled  to  advise  him 
not  to  think  of  leaving  Texas  for  at  least  an 
other  year.  To  supplement  this,  the  son  wrote 
that  he  hoped  to  be  able  to  go  home  in  the 
early  spring.  This  had  the  desired  effect. 
Any  remorse  of  conscience  he  may  have  felt 
over  the  deception  resorted  to  was  soon  for 
gotten  in  following  a  pack  of  hounds  or  stalk 
ing  deer,  for  hunting  now  became  the  order 
of  the  day.  The  antlered  buck  was  again  in 
his  prime.  His  favorite  range  was  carefully 
noted.  Very  few  hunts  were  unrewarded  by 
at  least  one  or  more  shots  at  this  noble  animal. 
With  an  occasional  visitor,  the  winter  passed 
as  had  the  previous  one.  Some  congenial 
spirit  would  often  spend  a  few  days  with  them, 
and  his  departure  was  always  sincerely  re 
gretted. 

The  most  peculiar  feature  of  the  whole 
affair  was  the  friendship  of  the  young  man  for 
Tiburcio.  The  latter  was  the  practical  hunter, 
which  actual  experience  only  can  produce.  He 
could  foretell  the  coming  of  a  norther  twenty- 
four  hours  in  advance.  Just  which  course  deer 
would  graze  he  could  predict  by  the  quarter 
of  the  wind.  In  woodcraft  he  was  a  trust 
worthy  though  unquoted  authority.  His  young 
patron  often  showed  him  his  watch  and  ex 
plained  how  it  measured  time,  but  he  had  no 


102  CATTLE  BRANDS 

use  for  it.  He  could  tell  nearly  enough  when 
it  was  noon,  and  if  the  stars  were  shining  he 
knew  midnight  within  a  few  minutes.  This 
he  had  learned  when  a  shepherd.  He  could 
track  a  wounded  deer  for  miles,  when  another 
could  not  see  a  trace  of  where  the  animal 
had  passed.  He  could  recognize  the  footprint 
of  his  favorite  saddle  pony  among  a  thousand 
others.  How  he  did  these  things  he  did  not 
know  himself.  These  companions  were  grad 
uates  of  different  schools,  extremes  of  different 
nationalities.  Yet  Alexander  Wells  had  no 
desire  to  elevate  the  old  hunter  to  his  own 
standard,  preferring  to  sit  at  his  feet. 

But  finally  the  appearance  of  blades  of  grass 
and  early  flowers  warned  them  that  win 
ter  was  gone  and  that  spring  was  at  hand. 
Their  occupation,  therefore,  was  at  an  end. 
Now  how  to  satisfy  the  folks  at  home  and  get 
a  further  extension  of  time  was  the  truant's 
supreme  object.  While  he  always  professed 
obedience  to  parental  demands,  yet  rebel 
lion  was  brewing,  for  he  did  not  want  to  go 
East  —  not  just  yet.  Imperative  orders  to 
return  were  artfully  parried.  Finally  remit 
tances  were  withheld,  but  he  had  no  use  for 
money.  Coercion  was  bad  policy  to  use  in 
his  case.  Thus  a  third  and  a  fourth  winter 
passed,  and  the  young  hunter  was  enjoying 


A   COLLEGE   VAGABOND        103 

life  on  the  Salado,  where  questions  of  state  and 
nation  did  not  bother  him. 

But  this  existence  had  an  end.  One  day  in 
the  spring  a  conveyance  drove  up  to  the  cabin, 
and  an  elderly,  well-dressed  woman  alighted. 
With  the  assistance  of  her  driver  she  ran  the 
gauntlet  of  dogs  and  reached  the  cabin  door, 
which  was  open.  There,  sitting  inside  on  a 
dry  cow-skin  which  was  spread  on  the  clay 
floor,  was  the  object  of  her  visit,  surrounded 
by  a  group  of  Mexican  companions,  playing  a 
game  called  monte.  The  absorbing  interest 
taken  in  the  cards  had  prevented  the  inmates 
of  the  jacal  from  noticing  the  lady's  approach 
until  she  stood  opposite  the  door.  On  the 
appearance  of  a  woman,  the  game  instantly 
ceased.  Recognition  was  mutual,  but  neither 
mother  nor  son  spoke  a  word.  Her  eye  took 
in  the  surroundings  at  a  glance.  Finally  she 
spoke  with  a  half-concealed  imperiousness  of 
tone,  though  her  voice  was  quiet  and  kindly. 

"Alexander,  if  you  wish  to  see  your  mo 
ther,  come  to  San  Antonio,  won't  you,  please  ?  " 
and  turning,  she  retraced  her  steps  toward  the 
carriage. 

Her  son  arose  from  his  squatting  posture, 
hitching  up  one  side  of  his  trousers,  then  the 
other,  for  he  was  suspenderless,  and  following 
at  a  distance,  scratching  his  head  and  hitching 


104  CATTLE  BRANDS 

his  trousers  alternately,  he  at  last  managed  to 
say,  "Ah,  well  —  why  —  if  you  can  wait  a 
few  moments  till  I  change  my  clothes,  I  '11  — 
I  '11  go  with  you  right  now." 

This  being  consented  to,  he  returned  to  the 
cabin,  made  the  necessary  change,  and  stood 
before  them  a  picture  of  health,  bewhiskered 
and  bronzed  like  a  pirate.  As  he  was  halfway 
to  the  vehicle,  he  turned  back,  and  taking  the 
old  black  hands  of  Tiburcio  in  his  own,  said  in 
good  Spanish,  though  there  was  a  huskiness 
in  his  voice,  "  That  lady  is  my  mother.  I  may 
never  see  you  again.  I  don't  think  I  will.  You 
may  have  for  your  own  everything  I  leave." 

There  were  tears  in  the  old  hunter's  eyes 
as  he  relinquished  young  Wells's  hands  and 
watched  him  fade  from  his  sight.  His  mother, 
unable  to  live  longer  without  him,  had  made 
the  trip  from  New  York,  and  now  that' she  had 
him  in  her  possession  there  was  no  escape. 
They  took  the  first  stage  out  of  the  village  that 
night  on  their  return  trip  for  New  York  State. 

But  the  mother's  victory  was  short-lived 
and  barren.  Within  three  years  after  the  son's 
return,  he  failed  in  two  business  enterprises 
in  which  his  father  started  him.  Nothing  dis 
couraged,  his  parents  offered  him  a  third  op 
portunity,  it  containing,  however,  a  marriage 
condition.  But  the  voice  of  a  siren,  singing 


A  COLLEGE  VAGABOND        105 

of  flowery  prairies  and  pecan  groves  on  the 
Salado,  in  which  could  be  heard  the  music 
of  hounds  and  the  clattering  of  horses'  hoofs 
at  full  speed  following,  rilled  every  niche  and 
corner  of  his  heart,  and  he  balked  at  the  mar 
riage  offer. 

When  the  son  had  passed  his  thirtieth  year, 
his  parents  became  resigned  and  gave  their 
consent  to  his  return  to  Texas.  Long  before 
parental  consent  was  finally  obtained,  it  was 
evident  to  his  many  friends  that  the  West  had 
completely  won  him;  and  once  the  desire  of 
his  heart  was  secured,  the  languid  son  beamed 
with  energy  in  outfitting  for  his  return.  He 
wrung  the  hands  of  old  friends  with  a  new 
grip,  and  with  boyish  enthusiasm  announced 
his  early  departure. 

On  the  morning  of  leaving,  quite  a  crowd 
of  friends  and  relatives  gathered  at  the  depot 
to  see  him  off.  But  when  a  former  college 
chum  attempted  to  remonstrate  with  him  on 
the  social  sacrifice  which  he  was  making,  he 
turned  to  the  group  of  friends,  and  smilingly 
said,  "That's  all  right.  You  are  honest  in 
thinking  that  New  York  is  God's  country. 
But  out  there  in  Texas  also  is,  for  it  is  just  as 
God  made  it.  Why,  I  'm  going  to  start  a  cat 
tle  ranch  as  soon  as  I  get  there  and  go  back 
to  nature.  Don't  pity  me.  Rather  let  me  pity 


106  CATTLE  BRANDS 

you,  who  think,  act,  and  look  as  if  turned  out 
of  the  same  mill.  Any  social  sacrifices  which 
I  make  in  leaving  here  will  be  repaid  tenfold 
by  the  freedom  and  advantages  of  the  bound 
less  West." 


VI 
THE   DOUBLE   TRAIL 

EARLY  in  the  summer  of  '78  we  were 
rocking  along  with  a  herd  of  Laurel 
Leaf  cattle,  going  up  the  old  Chis- 
holm  trail  in  the  Indian  Territory.  The  cattle 
were  in  charge  of  Ike  Inks  as  foreman,  and 
had  been  sold  for  delivery  somewhere  in  the 
Strip. 

There  were  thirty-one  hundred  head, 
straight  "twos,"  and  in  the  single  ranch  brand. 
We  had  been  out  about  four  months  on  the 
trail,  and  all  felt  that  a  few  weeks  at  the  far 
thest  would  let  us  out,  for  the  day  before  we 
had  crossed  the  Cimarron  River,  ninety  miles 
south  of  the  state  line  of  Kansas. 

The  foreman  was  simply  killing  time,  wait 
ing  for  orders  concerning  the  delivery  of  the 
cattle.  All  kinds  of  jokes  were  in  order,  for  we 
all  felt  that  we  would  soon  be  set  free.  One 
of  our  men  had  been  taken  sick,  as  we  crossed 
Red  River  into  the  Nations,  and  not  wanting 
to  cross  this  Indian  country  short-handed, 
Inks  had  picked  up  a  young  fellow  who  evi 
dently  had  never  been  over  the  trail  before. 


io8  CATTLE  BRANDS 

He  gave  the  outfit  his  correct  name,  enjoining 
us,  but  it  proved  unpronounceable,  and  for 
convenience  some  one  rechristened  him  Lucy, 
as  he  had  quite  a  feminine  appearance.  He 
was  anxious  to  learn,  and  was  in  evidence  in 
everything  that  went  on. 

The  trail  from  the  Cimarron  to  Little  Tur 
key  Creek,  where  we  were  now  camped,  had 
originally  been  to  the  east  of  the  present  one, 
skirting  a  black-jack  country.  After  being 
used  several  years  it  had  been  abandoned, 
being  sandy,  and  the  new  route  followed  up 
the  bottoms  of  Big  Turkey,  since  it  was 
firmer  soil,  affording  better  footing  to  cattle. 
These  two  trails  came  together  again  at  Little 
Turkey.  At  no  place  were  they  over  two  or 
three  miles  apart,  and  from  where  they  sep 
arated  to  where  they  came  together  again  was 
about  seven  miles. 

It  troubled  Lucy  not  to  know  why  this  was 
thus.  Why  did  these  routes  separate  and 
come  together  again  ?  He  was  fruitful  with 
inquiries  as  to  where  this  trail  or  that  road 
led.  The  boss-man  had  a  vein  of  humor  in 
his  make-up,  though  it  was  not  visible;  so  he 
told  the  young  man  that  he  did  not  know, 
as  he  had  been  over  this  route  but  once 
before,  but  he  thought  that  Stubb,  who  was 
then  on  herd,  could  tell  him  how  it  was;  he 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAIL  109 

had  been  over  the  trail  every  year  since  it 
was  laid  out.  This  was  sufficient  to  secure 
Stubb  an  interview,  as  soon  as  he  was  re 
lieved  from  duty  and  had  returned  to  the 
wagon.  So  Ike  posted  one  of  the  men  who 
was  next  on  guard  to  tell  Stubb  what  to  ex 
pect,  and  to  be  sure  to  tell  it  to  him  scary. 

A  brief  description  of  Stubb  necessarily 
intrudes,  though  this  nickname  describes  the 
man.  Extremely  short  in  stature,  he  was  in 
clined  to  be  fleshy.  In  fact,  a  rear  view  of 
Stubb  looked  as  though  some  one  had  hol 
lowed  out  a  place  to  set  his  head  between  his 
ample  shoulders.  But  a  front  view  revealed  a 
face  like  a  full  moon.  In  disposition  he  was 
very  amiable.  His  laugh  was  enough  to  drive 
away  the  worst  case  of  the  blues.  It  bubbled 
up  from  some  inward  source  and  seemed  per 
ennial.  His  worst  fault  was  his  bar-room  as 
tronomy.  If  there  was  any  one  thing  that  he 
shone  in,  it  was  rustling  coffin  varnish  during 
the  early  prohibition  days  along  the  Kansas 
border.  His  patronage  was  limited  only  by 
his  income,  coupled  with  what  credit  he  en 
joyed. 

Once,  about  midnight,  he  tried  to  arouse  a 
drug  clerk  who  slept  in  the  store,  and  as  he 
had  worked  this  racket  before,  he  coppered 
the  play  to  repeat.  So  he  tapped  gently  on 


no  CATTLE  BRANDS 

the  window  at  the  rear  where  the  clerk  slept, 
calling  him  by  name.  This  he  repeated  any 
number  of  times.  Finally,  he  threatened  to 
have  a  fit;  even  this  did  not  work  to  his  ad 
vantage.  Then  he  pretended  to  be  very  angry, 
but  there  was  no  response.  After  fifteen  min 
utes  had  been  fruitlessly  spent,  he  went  back 
to  the  window,  tapped  on  it  once  more,  say 
ing,  "  Lon,  lie  still,  you  little  son-of-a-sheep- 
thief,"  which  may  not  be  what  he  said,  and 
walked  away.  A  party  who  had  forgotten  his 
name  was  once  inquiring  for  him,  describing 
him  thus,  "  He 's  a  little  short,  fat  fellow,  sits 
around  the  Maverick  Hotel,  talks  cattle  talk, 
and  punishes  a  power  of  whiskey." 

So  before  Stubb  had  even  time  to  unsaddle 
his  horse,  he  was  approached  to  know  the  his 
tory  of  these  two  trails. 

"  Well,"  said  Stubb  somewhat  hesitatingly, 
"  I  never  like  to  refer  to  it.  You  see,  I  killed 
a  man  the  day  that  right-hand  trail  was  made : 
I  '11  tell  you  about  it  some  other  time." 

"  But  why  not  now  ?  "  said  Lucy,  his  curi 
osity  aroused,  as  keen  as  a  woman's. 

"  Some  other  day,"  said  Stubb.  "  But  did 
you  notice  those  three  graves  on  the  last  ridge 
of  sand-hills  to  the  right  as  we  came  out  of  the 
Cimarron  bottoms  yesterday?  You  did?  Their 
tenants  were  killed  over  that  trail;  you  see 


THE  DOUBLE   TRAIL  111 

now  why  I  hate  to  refer  to  it,  don't  you  ?  I 
was  afraid  to  go  back  to  Texas  for  three  years 
afterward." 

"But  why  not  tell  me?"  said  the  young 
man. 

"  Oh,"  said  Stubb,  as  he  knelt  down  to  put 
a  hobble  on  his  horse,  "  it  would  injure  my 
reputation  as  a  peaceable  citizen,  and  I  don't 
mind  telling  you  that  I  expect  to  marry  soon." 

Having  worked  up  the  proper  interest  in 
his  listener,  besides  exacting  a  promise  that 
he  would  not  repeat  the  story  where  it  might 
do  injury  to  him,  he  dragged  his  saddle  up 
to  the  camp-fire.  Making  a  comfortable  seat 
with  it,  he  riveted  his  gaze  on  the  fire,  and 
with  a  splendid  sang-froid  reluctantly  told  the 
history  of  the  double  trail. 

"You  see,"  began  Stubb,  "the  Chisholm 
route  had  been  used  more  or  less  for  ten  years. 
This  right-hand  trail  was  made  in  '73.  I  bossed 
that  year  from  Van  Zandt  County,  for  old 
Andy  Erath,  who,  by  the  way,  was  a  dead 
square  cowman  with  not  a  hide-bound  idea 
in  his  make-up.  Son,  it  was  a  pleasure  to 
know  old  Andy.  You  can  tell  he  was  a  good 
man,  for  if  he  ever  got  a  drink  too  much, 
though  he  would  never  mention  her  other 
wise,  he  always  praised  his  wife.  I  've  been 
with  him  up  beyond  the  Yellowstone,  two 


112  CATTLE   BRANDS 

thousand  miles  from  home,  and  you  always 
knew  when  the  old  man  was  primed.  He 
would  praise  his  wife,  and  would  call  on  us 
boys  to  confirm  the  fact  that  Mary,  his  wife, 
was  a  good  woman. 

"  That  year  we  had  the  better  of  twenty-nine 
hundred  head,  all  steer  cattle,  threes  and  up,  a 
likely  bunch,  better  than  these  we  are  shadow 
ing  now.  You  see,  my  people  are  not  driving 
this  year, which  is  the  reason  that  I  am  making 
a  common  hand  with  Inks.  If  I  was  to  lay  off 
a  season,  or  go  to  the  seacoast,  I  might  forget 
the  way.  In  those  days  I  always  hired  my  own 
men.  The  year  that  this  right-hand  trail  was 
made,  I  had  an  outfit  of  men  who  would  rather 
fight  than  eat;  in  fact,  I  selected  them  on  ac 
count  of  their  special  fitness  in  the  use  of  fire 
arms.  Why,  Inks  here  could  n't  have  cooked 
for  my  outfit  that  season,  let  alone  rode.  There 
was  no  particular  incident  worth  mentioning 
till  we  struck  Red  River,  where  we  overtook 
five  or  six  herds  that  were  laying  over  on 
account  of  a  freshet  in  the  river.  I  would  n't 
have  a  man  those  days  who  was  not  as  good 
in  the  water  as  out.  When  I  rode  up  to  the 
river,  one  or  two  of  my  men  were  with  me.  It 
looked  red  and  muddy  and  rolled  just  a  trifle, 
but  I  ordered  one  of  the  boys  to  hit  it  on  his 
horse,  to  see  what  it  was  like.  Well,  he  never 


THE  DOUBLE   TRAIL  113 

wet  the  seat  of  his  saddle  going  or  coming, 
though  his  horse  was  in  swimming  water  good 
sixty  yards.  All  the  other  bosses  rode  up,  and 
each  one  examined  his  peg  to  see  if  the  rise 
was  falling.  One  fellow  named  Bob  Brown, 
boss-man  for  John  Blocker,  asked  me  what  I 
thought  about  the  crossing.  I  said  to  him, 
'  If  this  ferryman  can  cross  our  wagon  for  me, 
and  you  fellows  will  open  out  a  little  and  let 
me  in,  I  '11  show  you  all  a  crossing,  and  it  '11 
be  no  miracle  either.' 

"Well,  the  ferryman  said  he  'd  set  the 
wagon  over,  so  the  men  went  back  to  bring  up 
the  herd.  They  were  delayed  some  little  time, 
changing  to  their  swimming  horses.  It  was 
nearly  an  hour  before  the  herd  came  up,  the 
others  opening  out,  so  as  to  give  us  a  clear 
field,  in  case  of  a  mill  or  balk.  I  never  had  to 
give  an  order;  my  boys  knew  just  what  to  do. 
Why,  there 's  men  in  this  outfit  right  now  that 
could  n't  have  greased  my  wagon  that  year. 

"  Well,  the  men  on  the  points  brought  the 
herd  to  the  water  with  a  good  head  on,  and 
before  the  leaders  knew  it,  they  were  halfway 
across  the  channel,  swimming  like  fish.  The 
swing-men  fed  them  in,  free  and  plenty.  Most 
of  my  outfit  took  to  the  water,  and  kept  the 
cattle  from  drifting  downstream.  The  boys 
from  the  other  herds  —  good  men,  too  —  kept 


114  CATTLE   BRANDS 

shooting  them  into  the  water,  and  inside  fifteen 
minutes'  time  we  were  in  the  big  Injun  Terri 
tory.  After  crossing  the  saddle  stock  and  the 
wagon,  I  swam  my  horse  back  to  the  Texas 
side.  I  wanted  to  eat  dinner  with  Blocker's 
man,  just  to  see  how  they  fed.  Might  want  to 
work  for  him  some  time,  you  see.  I  pretended 
that  I  'd  help  him  over  if  he  wanted  to  cross, 
but  he  said  his  dogies  could  never  breast  that 
water.  I  remarked  to  him  at  dinner,  '  You  're 
feeding  a  mite  better  this  year,  ain't  you?' 
'Not  that  I  can  notice,'  he  replied,  as  the 
cook  handed  him  a  tin  plate  heaping  with  navy 
beans,  'and  I  'm  eating  rather  regular  with  the 
wagon,  too.'  I  killed  time  around  for  a  while, 
and  then  we  rode  down  to  the  river  together. 
The  cattle  had  tramped  out  his  peg,  so  after 
setting  a  new  one,  and  pow-wowing  around,  I 
told  him  good-by  and  said  to  him,  'Bob,  old 
man,  when  I  hit  Dodge,  I  '11  take  a  drink  and 
think  of  you  back  here  on  the  trail,  and  regret 
that  you  are  not  with  me,  so  as  to  make  it 
two-handed.'  We  said  our  '  so-longs '  to  each 
other,  and  I  gave  the  gray  his  head  and  he 
took  the  water  like  a  duck.  He  could  outswim 
any  horse  I  ever  saw,  but  I  drowned  him  in 
the  Washita  two  weeks  later.  Yes,  tangled 
his  feet  in  some  vines  in  a  sunken  treetop, 
and  the  poor  fellow's  light  went  out.  My  own 


THE   DOUBLE   TRAIL  115 

candle  came  near  being  snuffed.  I  never  felt 
so  bad  over  a  little  thing  since  I  burned  my 
new  red  topboots  when  I  was  a  kid,  as  in 
drownding  that  horse. 

"There  was  nothing  else  worth  mention 
ing  until  we  struck  the  Cimarron  back  here, 
where  we  overtook  a  herd  of  Chisholm's  that 
had  come  in  from  the  east.  They  had  crossed 
through  the  Arbuckle  Mountains  —  came  in 
over  the  old  Whiskey  Trail.  Here  was  another 
herd  waterbound,and  the  boss-man  was  as  im 
portant  as  a  hen  with  one  chicken.  He  told  me 
that  the  river  would  n't  be  fordable  for  a  week; 
wanted  me  to  fall  back  at  least  five  miles; 
wanted  all  this  river  bottom  for  his  cattle; 
said  he  did  n't  need  any  help  to  cross  his 
herd,  though  he  thanked  me  for  the  offer  with 
an  air  of  contempt.  I  informed  him  that  our 
cattle  were  sold  for  delivery  on  the  North 
Platte,  and  that  we  wanted  to  go  through  on 
time.  I  assured  him  if  he  would  drop  his 
cattle  a  mile  down  the  river,  it  would  give  us 
plenty  of  room.  I  told  him  plainly  that  our 
cattle,  horses,  and  men  could  all  swim,  and 
that  we  never  let  a  little  thing  like  swimming 
water  stop  us. 

"  No  !  No  !  he  could  n't  do  that ;  we  might 
as  well  fall  back  and  take  our  turn.  <  Oh,  well,' 
said  I, '  if  you  want  to  act  contrary  about  it, 


ii6  CATTLE  BRANDS 

I  '11  go  up  to  the  King-Fisher  crossing,  only 
three  miles  above  here.  I  've  almost  got  time 
to  cross  yet  this  evening.' 

"Then  he  wilted  and  inquired,  'Do  you 
think  I  can  cross  if  it  swims  them  any  ?' 

"'I'm  not  doing  your  thinking,  sir,'  I  an 
swered,  '  but  I  '11  bring  up  eight  or  nine  good 
men  and  help  you  rather  than  make  a  six- 
mile  elbow.'  I  said  this  with  some  spirit  and 
gave  him  a  mean  look. 

" '  All  right,'  said  he,  <  bring  up  your  boys, 
say  eight  o'clock,  and  we  will  try  the  ford. 
Let  me  add  right  here,'  he  continued, ( and 
I  'm  a  stranger  to  you,  young  man,  but  my 
outfit  don't  take  anybody's  slack,  and  as  I  am 
older  than  you,  let  me  give  you  this  little  bit 
of  advice  :  when  you  bring  your  men  here 
in  the  morning,  don't  let  them  whirl  too  big 
a  loop,  or  drag  their  ropes  looking  for  trou 
ble,  for  I  've  got  fellows  with  me  that  don't 
turn  out  of  the  trail  for  anybody.' 

"  '  All  right,  sir,'  I  said.  <  Really,  I  'm  glad 
to  hear  that  you  have  some  good  men,  still 
I  'm  pained  to  find  them  on  the  wrong  side  of 
the  river  for  travelers.  But  I  '11  be  here  in  the 
morning,'  I  called  back  as  I  rode  away.  So 
telling  my  boys  that  we  were  likely  to  have 
some  fun  in  the  morning,  and  what  to  ex 
pect,  I  gave  it  no  further  attention.  When  we 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAIL  117 

were  catching  up  our  horses  next  morning 
for  the  day,  I  ordered  two  of  my  lads  on  herd, 
which  was  a  surprise  to  them,  as  they  were 
both  handy  with  a  gun.  I  explained  it  to  them 
all,  —  that  we  wished  to  avoid  trouble,  but  if 
it  came  up  unavoidable,  to  overlook  no  bets 
—  to  copper  every  play  as  it  fell. 

"  We  got  to  the  river  too  early  to  suit  Chis- 
holm's  boss-man.  He  seemed  to  think  that 
his  cattle  would  take  the  water  better  about 
ten  o'clock.  To  kill  time  my  boys  rode  across 
and  back  several  times  to  see  what  the  water 
was  like.  'Well,  any  one  that  would  let  as 
little  swimming  water  as  that  stop  them  must 
be  a  heap  sight  sorry  outfit,'  remarked  one- 
eyed  Jim  Reed,  as  he  rode  out  of  the  river, 
dismounting  to  set  his  saddle  forward  and 
tighten  his  cinches,  not  noticing  that  this  fore 
man  heard  him.  I  rode  around  and  gave  him 
a  look,  and  he  looked  up  at  me  and  muttered, 
'Scuse  me,  boss,  I  plumb  forgot!'  Then  I 
rode  back  and  apologized  to  this  boss-man: 
*  Don't  pay  any  attention  to  my  boys  ;  they 
are  just  showing  off,  and  are  a  trifle  windy  this 
morning.' 

"< That's  all  right,'  he  retorted,  <  but  don't 
forget  what  I  told  you  yesterday,  and  let  it  be 
enough  said.' 

" *  Well,  let 's  put  the  cattle  in,'  I  urged,  see- 


u8  CATTLE  BRANDS 

ing  that  he  was  getting  hot  under  the  collar. 
4  We  're  burning  daylight,  pardner.' 

"  *  Well,  I  'm  going  to  cross  my  wagon  first,' 
said  he. 

"  'That 's  a  good  idea,'  I  answered.  '  Bring 
her  up.'  Their  cook  seemed  to  have  a  little 
sense,  for  he  brought  up  his  wagon  in  good 
shape.  We  tied  some  guy  ropes  to  the  upper 
side,  and  taking  long  ropes  from  the  end  of 
the  tongue  to  the  pommels  of  our  saddles, 
the  ease  with  which  we  set  that  commissary 
over  did  n't  trouble  any  one  but  the  boss- 
man,  whose  orders  were  not  very  distinct 
from  the  distance  between  banks.  It  was  a 
good  hour  then  before  he  would  bring  up  his 
cattle.  The  main  trouble  seemed  to  be  to 
devise  means  to  keep  their  guns  and  car 
tridges  dry,  as  though  that  was  more  impor 
tant  than  getting  the  whole  herd  of  nearly 
thirty-five  hundred  cattle  over.  We  gave 
them  a  clean  cloth  until  they  needed  us,  but  as 
they  came  up  we  divided  out  and  were  ready 
to  give  the  lead  a  good  push.  If  a  cow  changed 
his  mind  about  taking  a  swim  that  morning, 
he  changed  it  right  back  and  took  it.  For  in 
less  than  twenty  minutes '  time  they  were  all 
over,  much  to  the  surprise  of  the  boss  and  his 
men;  besides,  their  weapons  were  quite  dry; 
just  the  splash  had  wet  them. 


THE  DOUBLE   TRAIL  119 

"I  told  the  boss  that  we  would  not  need 
any  help  to  cross  ours,  but  to  keep  well  out 
of  our  way,  as  we  would  try  and  cross  by 
noon,  which  ought  to  give  him  a  good  five- 
mile  start.  Well,  we  crossed  and  nooned, 
lying  around  on  purpose  to  give  them  a  good 
lead,  and  when  we  hit  the  trail  back  in  these 
sand-hills,  there  he  was,  not  a  mile  ahead, 
and  you  can  see  there  was  no  chance  to  get 
around.  I  intended  to  take  the  Dodge  trail, 
from  this  creek  where  we  are  now,  but  there 
we  were,  blocked  in!  I  was  getting  a  trifle 
wolfish  over  the  way  they  were  acting,  so  I 
rode  forward  to  see  what  the  trouble  was. 

" '  Oh,  I  'm  in  no  hurry.  You  're  driving 
too  fast.  This  is  your  first  trip,  is  n't  it  ?  '  he 
inquired,  as  he  felt  of  a  pair  of  checked  pants 
drying  on  the  wagon  wheel. 

"  '  Don't  you  let  any  idea  like  that  disturb 
your  Christian  spirit,  old  man,'  I  replied  with 
some  resentment.  '  But  if  you  think  I  am  driv 
ing  too  fast,  you  might  suggest  some  creek 
where  I  could  delude  myself  with  the  idea,  for 
a  week  or  so,  that  it  was  not  fordable.' 

"  Assuming  an  air  of  superiority  he  ob 
served,  '  You  seem  to  have  forgot  what  I  said 
to  you  yesterday.' 

"  '  No,  I  have  n't,'  I  answered,  '  but  are  you 
going  to  stay  all  night  here  ? J 


120  CATTLE  BRANDS 

" '  I  certainly  am,  if  that  's  any  satisfaction 
to  you,'  he  answered. 

"  I  got  off  my  horse  and  asked  him  for  a 
match,  though  I  had  plenty  in  my  pocket,  to 
light  a  cigarette  which  I  had  rolled  during 
the  conversation.  I  had  no  gun  on,  having  left 
mine  in  our  wagon,  but  fancied  I  'd  stir  him 
up  and  see  how  bad  he  really  was.  I  thought 
it  best  to  stroke  him  with  and  against  the  fur, 
try  and  keep  on  neutral  ground,  so  I  said,  — 

"  '  You  ain't  figuring  none  that  in  case  of  a 
run  to-night  we  're  a  trifle  close  together  for 
cow-herds.  Besides,  my  men  on  a  guard  last 
night  heard  gray  wolves  in  these  sand-hills. 
They  are  liable  to  show  up  to-night.  Did  n't 
I  notice  some  young  calves  among  your  cattle 
this  morning  ?  Young  calves,  you  know,  make 
larruping  fine  eating  for  grays.' 

" '  Now,  look  here,  Shorty,'  he  said  in  a 
patronizing  tone,  as  though  he  might  let  a  lit 
tle  of  his  superior  cow-sense  shine  in  on  my 
darkened  intellect,  '  I  have  n't  asked  you  to 
crowd  up  here  on  me.  You  are  perfectly  at 
liberty  to  drop  back  to  your  heart's  content. 
If  wolves  bother  us  to-night,  you  stay  in  your 
blankets  snug  and  warm,  and  pleasant  dreams 
of  old  sweethearts  on  the  Trinity  to  you.  We 
won't  need  you.  We  '11  try  and  worry  along 
without  you.' 


THE  DOUBLE   TRAIL  121 

"  Two  or  three  of  his  men  laughed  gruffly 
at  these  remarks,  and  threw  leer-eyed  looks 
at  me.  I  asked  one  who  seemed  bad,  what 
calibre  his  gun  was.  '  Forty-five  ha'r  trigger,' 
he  answered.  I  nosed  around  over  their  plun 
der  purpose.  They  had  things  drying  around 
like  Bannock  squaws  jerking  venison. 

"When  I  got  on  my  horse,  I  said  to  the 
boss,  *  I  want  to  pass  your  outfit  in  the  morn 
ing,  as  you  are  in  no  hurry  and  I  am.' 

"  <  That  will  depend,'  said  he. 

"< Depend  on  what?'  I  asked. 

"  *  Depend  on  whether  we  are  willing  to  let 
you,'  he  snarled. 

"I  gave  him  as  mean  a  look  as  I  could 
command  and  said  tauntingly,  'Now,  look 
here,  old  girl :  there  's  no  occasion  for  you  to 
tear  your  clothes  with  me  this  way.  Besides, 
I  sometimes  get  on  the  prod  myself,  and  when 
I  do,  I  don't  bar  no  man,  Jew  nor  Gentile, 
horse,  mare  or  gelding.  You  may  think  dif 
ferent,  but  I  'm  not  afraid  of  any  man  in  your 
outfit,  from  the  gimlet  to  the  big  auger.  I  Ve 
tried  to  treat  you  white,  but  I  see  I  've  failed. 
Now  I  want  to  give  it  out  to  you  straight  and 
cold,  that  I  '11  pass  you  to-morrow,  or  mix  two 
herds  trying.  Think  it  over  to-night  and  nomi 
nate  your  choice  —  be  a  gentleman  or  a  hog. 
Let  your  own  sweet  will  determine  which.' 


122  CATTLE  BRANDS 

"  I  rode  away  in  a  walk,  to  give  them  a 
chance  to  say  anything  they  wanted  to,  but 
there  were  no  further  remarks.  My  men  were 
all  hopping  mad  when  I  told  them,  but  I  pro 
mised  them  that  to-morrow  we  would  fix  them 
plenty  or  use  up  our  supply  of  cartridges  if 
necessary.  We  dropped  back  a  mile  off  the 
trail  and  camped  for  the  night.  Early  the 
next  morning  I  sent  one  of  my  boys  out  on 
the  highest  sand  dune  to  Injun  around  and  see 
what  they  were  doing.  After  being  gone  for  an 
hour  he  came  back  and  said  they  had  thrown 
their  cattle  off  the  bed-ground  up  the  trail, 
and  were  pottering  around  like  as  they  aimed 
to  move.  Breakfast  over,  I  sent  him  back 
again  to  make  sure,  for  I  wanted  yet  to  avoid 
trouble  if  they  did  n't  draw  it  on.  It  was 
another  hour  before  he  gave  us  the  signal  to 
come  on.  We  were  nicely  strung  out  where 
you  saw  those  graves  on  that  last  ridge  of 
sand-hills,  when  there  they  were  about  a  mile 
ahead  of  us,  moseying  along.  This  side  of 
Chapman's,  the  Indian  trader's  store,  the  old 
route  turns  to  the  right  and  follows  up  this 
black-jack  ridge.  We  kept  up  close,  and  just 
as  soon  as  they  turned  in  to  the  right,  — 
the  only  trail  there  was  then,  —  we  threw  off 
the  course  and  came  straight  ahead,  cross 
country  style,  same  route  we  came  over  to- 


THE  DOUBLE   TRAIL  123 

day,  except  there  was  no  trail  there ;  we  had 
to  make  a  new  one. 

"Now  they  watched  us  a  plenty,  but  it 
seemed  they  could  n't  make  out  our  game. 
When  we  pulled  up  even  with  them,  half  a 
mile  apart,  they  tumbled  that  my  bluff  of  the 
day  before  was  due  to  take  effect  without  fur 
ther  notice.  Then  they  began  to  circle  and 
ride  around,  and  one  fellow  went  back,  only 
hitting  the  high  places,  to  their  wagon  and 
saddle  horses,  and  they  were  brought  up  on 
a  trot.  We  were  by  this  time  three  quarters 
of  a  mile  apart,  when  the  boss  of  their  outfit 
was  noticed  riding  out  toward  us.  Calling  one 
of  my  men,  we  rode  out  and  met  him  half 
way.  '  Young  man,  do  you  know  just  what 
you  are  trying  to  do  ? '  he  asked. 

"  *  I  think  I  do.  You  and  myself  as  cowmen 
don't  pace  in  the  same  class,  as  you  will  see, 
if  you  will  only  watch  the  smoke  of  our  tepee. 
Watch  us  close,  and  I  '11  pass  you  between 
here  and  the  next  water.' 

"'We  will  see  you  in  hell  first!'  he  said, 
as  he  whirled  his  horse  and  galloped  back  to 
his  men.  The  race  was  on  in  a  brisk  walk. 
His  wagon,  we  noticed,  cut  in  between  the 
herds,  until  it  reached  the  lead  of  his  cattle, 
when  it  halted  suddenly,  and  we  noticed  that 
they  were  cutting  off  a  dry  cowskin  that 


124  CATTLE  BRANDS 

swung  under  the  wagon.  At  the  same  time 
two  of  his  men  cut  out  a  wild  steer,  and  as  he 
ran  near  their  wagon  one  of  them  roped  and  the 
other  heeled  him.  It  was  neatly  done.  I  called 
Big  Dick,  my  boss  roper,  and  told  him  what 
I  suspected, — that  they  were  going  to  try 
and  stampede  us  with  a  dry  cowskin  tied  to 
that  steer's  tail  they  had  down.  As  they  let 
him  up,  it  was  clear  I  had  called  the  turn, 
as  they  headed  him  for  our  herd,  the  flint 
thumping  at  his  heels.  Dick  rode  out  in  a 
lope,  and  I  signaled  for  my  crowd  to  come  on 
and  we  would  back  Dick's  play.  As  we  rode 
out  together,  I  said  to  my  boys,  'The  stuff's 
off,  fellows!  Shoot,  and  shoot  to  hurt! ' 

"  It  seemed  their  whole  outfit  was  driving 
that  one  steer,  and  turning  the  others  loose  to 
graze.  Dick  never  changed  the  course  of  that 
steer,  but  let  him  head  for  ours,  and  as  they 
met  and  passed,  he  turned  his  horse  and  rode 
onto  him  as  though  he  was  a  post  driven  in 
the  ground.  Whirling  a  loop  big  enough  to 
take  in  a  yoke  of  oxen,  he  dropped  it  over  his 
off  fore  shoulder,  took  up  his  slack  rope,  and 
when  that  steer  went  to  the  end  of  the  rope, 
he  was  thrown  in  the  air  and  came  down  on 
his  head  with  a  broken  neck.  Dick  shook 
the  rope  off  the  dead  steer's  forelegs  without 
dismounting,  and  was  just  beginning  to  coil 


THE   DOUBLE   TRAIL  125 

his  rope  when  those  varmints  made  a  dash  at 
him,  shooting  and  yelling. 

"  That  called  for  a  counter  play  on  our  part, 
except  our  aim  was  low,  for  if  we  did  n't 
get  a  man,  we  were  sure  to  leave  one  afoot. 
Just  for  a  minute  the  air  was  full  of  smoke. 
Two  horses  on  our  side  went  down  before 
you  could  say  '  Jack  Robinson,'  but  the  men 
were  unhurt,  and  soon  flattened  themselves 
on  the  ground  Indian  fashion,  and  burnt  the 
grass  in  a  half-circle  in  front  of  them.  When 
everybody  had  emptied  his  gun,  each  outfit 
broke  back  to  its  wagon  to  reload.  Two  of 
my  men  came  back  afoot,  each  claiming  that 
he  had  got  his  man  all  right,  all  right.  We 
were  no  men  shy,  which  was  lucky.  Filling 
our  guns  with  cartridges  out  of  our  belts,  we 
rode  out  to  reconnoitre  and  try  and  get  the 
boys'  saddles. 

"  The  first  swell  of  the  ground  showed  us 
the  field.  There  were  the  dead  steer,  and  five 
or  six  horses  scattered  around  likewise,  but 
the  grass  was  too  high  to  show  the  men  that 
we  felt  were  there.  As  the  opposition  was 
keeping  close  to  their  wagon,  we  rode  up  to 
the  scene  of  carnage.  While  some  of  the  boys 
were  getting  the  saddles  off  the  dead  horses, 
we  found  three  men  taking  their  last  nap  in 
the  grass.  I  recognized  them  as  the  boss-man, 


126  CATTLE  BRANDS 

the  fellow  with  the  ha'r-trigger  gun,  and  a  fool 
kid  that  had  two  guns  on  him  when  we  were 
crossing  their  cattle  the  day  before.  One  gun 
was  n't  plenty  to  do  the  fighting  he  was  han 
kering  for  5  he  had  about  as  much  use  for  two 
guns  as  a  toad  has  for  a  stinger. 

"The  boys  got  the  saddles  off  the  dead 
horses,  and  went  flying  back  to  our  men  afoot, 
and  then  rejoined  us.  The  fight  seemed  over, 
or  there  was  some  hitch  in  the  programme, 
for  we  could  see  them  hovering  near  their 
wagon,  tearing  up  white  biled  shirts  out  of  a 
trunk  and  bandaging  up  arms  and  legs,  that 
they  had  n't  figured  on  any.  Our  herd  had  been 
overlooked  during  the  scrimmage,  and  had 
scattered  so  that  I  had  to  send  one  man  and 
the  horse  wrangler  to  round  them  in.  We  had 
ten  men  left,  and  it  was  beginning  to  look  as 
though  hostilities  had  ceased  by  mutual  con 
sent.  You  can  see,  son,  we  did  n't  bring  it  on. 
We  turned  over  the  dead  steer,  and  he  proved 
to  be  a  stray;  at  least  he  hadn't  their  road 
brand  on.  One-eyed  Jim  said  the  ranch  brand 
belonged  in  San  Saba  County;  he  knew  it  well, 
the  X —  2.  Well,  it  was  n't  long  until  our  men 
afoot  got  a  remount  and  only  two  horses  shy 
on  the  first  round.  We  could  stand  another  on 
the  same  terms  in  case  they  attacked  us.  We 
rode  out  on  a  little  hill  about  a  quarter-mile 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAIL  127 

from  their  wagon,  scattering  out  so  as  not  to 
give  them  a  pot  shot,  in  case  they  wanted  to 
renew  the  unpleasantness. 

"  When  they  saw  us  there, one  fellow  started 
toward  us,  waving  his  handkerchief.  We  be 
gan  speculating  which  one  it  was,  but  soon 
made  him  out  to  be  the  cook;  his  occupation 
kept  him  out  of  the  first  round.  When  he 
came  within  a  hundred  yards,  I  rode  out  and 
met  him.  He  offered  me  his  hand  and  said, 
*  We  are  in  a  bad  fix.  Two  of  our  crowd  have 
bad  flesh  wounds.  Do  you  suppose  we  could 
get  any  whiskey  back  at  this  Indian  trader's 
store  ? ' 

"'If  there  is  any  man  in  this  territory  can 
get  any  I  can  if  they  have  it,'  I  told  him.  '  Be 
sides,  if  your  lay-out  has  had  all  the  satisfac 
tion  fighting  they  want,  we  '11  turn  to  and  give 
you  a  lift.  It  seems  like  you  all  have  some  dead 
men  over  back  here.  They  will  have  to  be 
planted.  So  if  your  outfit  feel  as  though  you 
had  your  belly-full  of  fighting  for  the  present, 
consider  us  at  your  service.  You  're  the  cook, 
ain't  you  ? ' 

" '  Yes,  sir,'  he  answered.  '  Are  all  three 
dead  ? '  he  then  inquired. 

"'Dead  as  heck,'  I  told  him. 

"  'Well,  we  are  certainly  in  a  bad  box,  said 
he  meditatingly.  '  But  won't  you  all  ride  over 


128  CATTLE  BRANDS 

to  our  wagon  with  me?  I  think  our  fellows 
are  pacified  for  the  present.' 

"  I  motioned  to  our  crowd,  and  we  all  rode 
over  to  their  wagon  with  him.  There  was  n't 
a  gun  in  sight.  The  ragged  edge  of  despair 
don't  describe  them.  I  made  them  a  little  talk; 
told  them  that  their  boss  had  cashed  in,  back 
over  the  hill;  also  if  there  was  any  segundo 
in  their  outfit,  the  position  of  big  augur  was 
open  to  him,  and  we  were  at  his  service. 

"There  was  n't  a  man  among  them  that  had 
any  sense  left  but  the  cook.  He  told  me  to 
take  charge  of  the  killed,  and  if  I  could  rustle 
a  little  whiskey  to  do  so.  So  I  told  the  cook 
to  empty  out  his  wagon,  and  we  would  take 
the  dead  ones  back,  make  boxes  for  them,  and 
bury  them  at  the  store.  Then  I  sent  three  of 
my  men  back  to  the  store  to  have  the  boxes 
ready  and  dig  the  graves.  Before  these  three 
rode  away,  I  said,  aside  to  Jim,  who  was  one 
of  them,  '  Don't  bother  about  any  whiskey; 
branch  water  is  plenty  nourishing  for  the 
wounded.  It  would  be  a  sin  and  shame  to 
waste  good  liquor  on  plafry  like  them.' 

"  The  balance  of  us  went  over  to  the  field 
of  carnage  and  stripped  the  saddles  off  their 
dead  horses,  and  arranged  the  departed  in  a 
row,  covering  them  with  saddle  blankets, 
pending  the  planting  act.  I  sent  part  of  my 


THE  DOUBLE   TRAIL  129 

boys  with  our  wagon  to  look  after  our  own 
cattle  for  the  day.  It  took  us  all  the  afternoon 
to  clean  up  a  minute's  work  in  the  morning. 

"  I  never  like  to  refer  to  it.  Fact  was,  all 
the  boys  felt  gloomy  for  weeks,  but  there  was 
no  avoiding  it.  Two  months  later,  we  met  old 
man  Andy,  way  up  at  Fort  Laramie  on  the 
North  Platte.  He  was  tickled  to  death  to  meet 
us  all.  The  herd  had  come  through  in  fine 
condition.  We  never  told  him  anything  about 
this  until  the  cattle  were  delivered,  and  we 
were  celebrating  the  success  of  that  drive  at 
a  near-by  town. 

"  Big  Dick  told  him  about  this  incident,  and 
the  old  man  feeling  his  oats,  as  he  leaned  with 
his  back  against  the  bar,  said  to  us  with  a 
noticeable  degree  of  pride,  '  Lads,  I  'm  proud 
of  every  one  of  you.  Men  who  will  fight  to 
protect  my  interests  has  my  purse  at  their 
command.  This  year's  drive  has  been  a  suc 
cess.  Next  year  we  will  drive  twice  as  many. 
I  want  every  rascal  of  you  to  work  for  me. 
You  all  know  how  I  mount,  feed,  and  pay  my 
men,  and  as  long  as  my  name  is  Erath  and  I 
own  a  cow,  you  can  count  on  a  job  with  me.'  " 

"But  why  did  you  take  them  back  to  the 
sand-hills  to  bury  them  ?  "  cut  in  Lucy. 

"  Oh,  that  was  Big  Dick's  idea.  He  thought 
the  sand  would  dig  easier,  and  laziness  guided 


130  CATTLE   BRANDS 

every  act  of  his  life.  That  was  five  years  ago, 
son,  that  this  lower  trail  was  made,  and  for 
the  reasons  I  have  just  given  you.  No,  I  can't 
tell  you  any  more  personal  experiences  to 
night;  I  'm  too  sleepy." 


VII 
RANGERING 

NO  State  in  the  Union  was  ever  called 
upon  to  meet  and  deal  with  the  crim 
inal  element  as  was  Texas.    She  was 
border  territory  upon  her  admission  to  the  sis 
terhood  of  States. 

An  area  equal  to  four  ordinary  States,  and 
a  climate  that  permitted  of  outdoor  life  the 
year  round,  made  it  a  desirable  rendezvous 
for  criminals.  The  sparsely  settled  condition 
of  the  country,  the  flow  of  immigration  being 
light  until  the  seventies,  was  an  important  fac 
tor.  The  fugitives  from  justice  of  the  older 
States  with  a  common  impulse  turned  toward 
this  empire  of  isolation.  Europe  contributed 
her  quota,  more  particularly  from  the  south, 
bringing  with  them  the  Mafia  and  vendetta. 
Once  it  was  the  Ultima  Thule  of  the  criminal 
western  world.  From  the  man  who  came  for 
not  building  a  church  to  the  one  who  had 
taken  human  life,  the  catalogue  of  crime  was 
fully  represented. 

Humorous  writers  tell  us  that  it  was  a 
breach  of  good  manners  to  ask  a  man  his 


132  CATTLE  BRANDS 

name,  or  what  State  he  was  from,  or  to  ex 
amine  the  brand  on  his  horse  very  particularly. 
It  can  be  safely  said  that  there  was  a  great 
amount  of  truth  mingled  with  the  humor. 
Some  of  these  fugitives  from  justice  became 
good  citizens,  but  the  majority  sooner  or  later 
took  up  former  callings. 

Along  with  this  criminal  immigration  came 
the  sturdy  settler,  the  man  intent  on  building 
a  home  and  establishing  a  fireside.  Usually 
following  lines  of  longitude,  he  came  from 
other  Southern  States.  He  also  brought  with 
him  the  fortitude  of  the  pioneer  that  reclaims 
the  wilderness  and  meets  any  emergency  that 
confronts  him.  To  meet  and  deal  with  this 
criminal  element  as  a  matter  of  necessity 
soon  became  an  important  consideration.  His 
only  team  of  horses  was  frequently  stolen. 
His  cattle  ran  off  their  range,  their  ear-marks 
altered  and  brands  changed.  Frequently  it 
was  a  band  of  neighbors,  together  in  a  posse, 
who  followed  and  brought  to  bay  the  ma 
rauders.  It  was  an  unlucky  moment  for  a 
horse-thief  when  he  was  caught  in  possession 
of  another  man's  horse.  The  impromptu  court 
of  emergency  had  no  sentiment  in  regard  to 
passing  sentence  of  death.  It  was  a  question 
of  guilt,  and  when  that  was  established,  Judge 
Lynch  passed  sentence. 


RANGERING  133 

As  the  State  advanced,  the  authorities  en 
listed  small  companies  of  men  called  Rangers. 
The  citizens'  posse  soon  gave  way  to  this  or 
ganized  service.  The  companies,  few  in  num 
ber  at  first,  were  gradually  increased  until  the 
State  had  over  a  dozen  companies  in  the  field. 
These  companies  numbered  anywhere  from 
ten  to  sixty  men.  It  can  be  said  with  no  dis 
credit  to  the  State  that  there  were  never  half 
enough  companies  of  men  for  the  work  before 
them. 

There  was  a  frontier  on  the  south  and 
west  of  over  two  thousand  miles  to  be  guarded. 
A  fair  specimen  of  the  large  things  in  that 
State  was  a  shoe-string  congressional  district, 
over  eleven  hundred  miles  long.  To  the 
Ranger,  then,  is  all  credit  due  for  guarding 
this  western  frontier  against  the  Indians  and 
making  life  and  the  possession  of  property 
a  possibility.  On  the  south  was  to  be  met 
the  bandit,  the  smuggler,  and  every  grade 
of  criminal  known  to  the  code. 

A  generation  had  come  and  gone  before  the 
Ranger's  work  was  fairly  done.  The  emer 
gency  demanded  brave  men.  They  were  ready. 
Not  necessarily  born  to  the  soil,  as  a  boy  the 
guardian  of  the  frontier  was  expert  in  the  use 
of  firearms,  and  in  the  saddle  a  tireless  rider. 
As  trailers  many  of  them  were  equal  to  hounds. 


134  CATTLE  BRANDS 

In  the  use  of  that  arbiter  of  the  frontier,  the 
six-shooter,  they  were  artists.  As  a  class, 
never  before  or  since  have  their  equals  in  the 
use  of  that  arm  come  forward  to  question  this 
statement. 

The  average  criminal,  while  familiar  with 
firearms,  was  as  badly  handicapped  as  woman 
would  be  against  man.  The  Ranger  had  no 
equal.  The  emergency  that  produced  him 
no  longer  existing,  he  will  never  have  a  suc 
cessor.  Any  attempt  to  copy  the  original 
would  be  hopeless  imitation.  He  was  shot  at 
at  short  range  oftener  than  he  received  his 
monthly  wage.  He  admired  the  criminal  that 
would  fight,  and  despised  one  that  would  sur 
render  on  demand.  He  would  nurse  back  to 
life  a  dead-game  man  whom  his  own  shot  had 
brought  to  earth,  and  give  a  coward  the  chance 
to  run  any  time  if  he  so  desired. 

He  was  compelled  to  lead  a  life  in  the 
open  and  often  descend  to  the  level  of  the 
criminal.  He  had  few  elements  in  his  make 
up,  and  but  a  single  purpose;  but  that  one 
purpose  —  to  rid  the  State  of  crime  —  he  ex 
ecuted  with  a  vengeance.  He  was  poorly  paid 
for  the  service  rendered.  Frequently  there 
was  no  appropriation  with  which  to  pay  him; 
then  he  lived  by  rewards  and  the  friendship 
of  ranchmen. 


RANGERING  135 

The  Ranger  always  had  a  fresh  horse  at  his 
command,  —  no  one  thought  of  refusing  him 
this.  Rust-proof,  rugged,  and  tireless,  he  gave 
the  State  protection  for  life  and  property.  The 
emergency  had  produced  the  man. 

"  Here,  take  my  glass  and  throw  down  on 
that  grove  of  timber  yonder,  and  notice  if  there 
is  any  sign  of  animal  life  to  be  seen,"  said  Ser 
geant  "  Smoky  "  C ,  addressing  "  Ramrod," 

a  private  in  Company  X  of  the  Texas  Rangers. 
The  sergeant  and  the  four  men  had  been  out 
on  special  duty,  and  now  we  had  halted  after 
an  all  night's  ride  looking  for  shade  and  water, 
— the  latter  especially.  We  had  two  prisoners, 
(horse-thieves),  some  extra  saddle  stock,  and 
three  pack  mules. 

It  was  an  hour  after  sun-up.  We  had  just 
come  out  of  the  foothills,  where  the  Brazos 
has  its  source,  and  before  us  lay  the  plains, 
dusty  and  arid.  This  grove  of  green  timber 
held  out  a  hope  that  within  it  might  be  found 
what  we  wanted.  Eyesight  is  as  variable  as 
men,  but  Ramrod's  was  known  to  be  reliable 
for  five  miles  with  the  naked  eye,  and  ten  with 
the  aid  of  a  good  glass.  He  dismounted  at 
the  sergeant's  request,  and  focused  the  glass 
on  this  oasis,  and  after  sweeping  the  field  for 
a  minute  or  so,  remarked  languidly,  "There 
must  be  water  there.  I  can  see  a  band  of  an- 


136  CATTLE   BRANDS 

telope  grazing  out  from  the  grove.  Hold  your 
mules!  Something  is  raising  a  dust  over  to 
the  south.  Good!  It's  cattle  coming  to  the 
water." 

While  he  was  covering  the  field  with  his 
glass,  two  of  the  boys  were  threatening  with 
eternal  punishment  the  pack  mules,  which 
showed  an  energetic  determination  to  lie 
down  and  dislodge  their  packs  by  rolling. 

"  Cut  your  observations  short  as  possible 
there,  Ramrod,  or  there  will  be  re-packing  to 
do.  Mula,  you  hybrid  son  of  your  father, 
don't  you  dare  to  lie  down ! " 

But  Ramrod's  observations  were  cut  short 
at  sight  of  the  cattle,  and  we  pushed  out  for 
the  grove,  about  seven  miles  distant.  As  we 
rode  this  short  hour's  ride,  numerous  small 
bands  of  antelope  were  startled,  and  in  turn 
stood  and  gazed  at  us  in  bewilderment. 

"I'm  not  tasty,"  said  Sergeant  Smoky, 
"  but  I  would  give  the  preference  this  morn 
ing  to  a  breakfast  of  a  well-roasted  side  of  ribs 
of  a  nice  yearling  venison  over  the  salt  hoss 
that  the  Lone  Star  State  furnishes  this  ser 
vice.  Have  we  no  hunters  with  us  ?  " 

"  Let  me  try,"  begged  a  little  man  we  called 
"  Cushion-foot."  What  his  real  name  was  none 
of  us  knew.  The  books,  of  course,  would 
show  some  name,  and  then  you  were  entitled 


RANGERING  137 

to  a  guess.  He  was  as  quiet  as  a  mouse,  as 
reliable  as  he  was  quiet,  and  as  noiseless  in 
his  movements  as  a  snake.  One  of  the  boys 
went  with  him,  making  quite  a  detour  from 
our  course,  but  always  remaining  in  sight. 
About  two  miles  out  from  the  grove,  we 
sighted  a  small  band  of  five  or  six  antelope, 
who  soon  took  fright  and  ran  to  the  nearest 
elevation.  Here  they  made  a  stand  about  half 
a  mile  distant.  We  signaled  to  our  hunters, 
who  soon  spotted  them  and  dismounted.  We 
could  see  Cushion  sneaking  through  the  short 
grass  like  a  coyote,  "Conajo"  leading  the 
horses,  well  hidden  between  them.  We  held 
the  antelopes'  attention  by  riding  around  in  a 
circle,  flagging  them.  Several  times  Cushion 
lay  flat,  and  we  thought  he  was  going  to  risk 
a  long  shot.  Then  he  would  crawl  forward 
like  a  cat,  but  finally  came  to  his  knee.  We 
saw  the  little  puff,  the  band  squatted,  jumping 
to  one  side  far  enough  to  show  one  of  their 
number  down  and  struggling  in  the  throes  of 
death. 

"  Good  long  shot,  little  man,"  said  the  ser 
geant,  "  and  you  may  have  the  choice  of  cuts, 
just  so  I  get  a  rib." 

We  saw  Conajo  mount  and  ride  up  on  a 
gallop,  but  we  held  our  course  for  the  grove. 
We  were  busy  making  camp  when  the  two 


138  CATTLE  BRANDS 

rode  in  with  a  fine  two-year-old  buck  across 
the  pommel  of  Cushion's  saddle.  They  had 
only  disemboweled  him,  but  Conajo  had  the 
heart  as  a  trophy  of  the  accuracy  of  the  shot, 
though  Cushion  had  n't  a  word  to  say.  It  was 
a  splendid  heart  shot.  Conajo  took  it  over 
and  showed  it  to  the  two  Mexican  prisoners. 
It  was  an  object  lesson  to  them.  One  said  to 
the  other,  "  Es  un  buen  tirador." 

We  put  the  prisoners  to  roasting  the  ribs, 
and  making  themselves  useful  in  general. 
One  man  guarded  them  at  their  work,  while 
all  the  others  attended  to  the  hobbling  and 
other  camp  duties. 

It  proved  to  be  a  delightful  camp.  We 
aimed  to  stay  until  sunset,  the  days  being  sul 
try  and  hot.  Our  appetites  were  equal  to  the 
breakfast,  and  it  was  a  good  one. 

"  To  do  justice  to  an  occasion  like  this," 
said  Smoky  as  he  squatted  down  with  about 
four  ribs  in  his  hand,  "  a  man  by  rights  ought 
to  have  at  least  three  fingers  of  good  liquor 
under  his  belt.  But  then  we  can't  have  all  the 
luxuries  of  life  in  the  far  West;  sure  to  be 
something  lacking." 

"  I  never  hear  a  man  hanker  for  liquor," 
said  Conajo,  as  he  poured  out  a  tin  cup  of 
coffee,  "  but  I  think  of  an  incident  my  father 
used  to  tell  us  boys  at  home.  He  was  sheriff 


RANGERING  139 

in  Kentucky  before  we  moved  to  Texas. 
Was  sheriff  in  the  same  county  for  twelve 
years.  Counties  are  very  irregular  back  in 
the  old  States.  Some  look  like  a  Mexican 
brand.  One  of  the  rankest,  rabid  political  ad 
mirers  my  father  had  lived  away  out  on  a  spur 
of  this  county.  He  lived  good  thirty  miles 
from  the  county  seat.  Did  n't  come  to  town 
over  twice  a  year,  but  he  always  stopped, 
generally  over  night,  at  our  house.  My  father 
would  n't  have  it  any  other  way.  Talk  about 
thieves  being  chummy;  why,  these  two  we 
have  here  could  n't  hold  a  candle  to  that  man 
and  my  father.  I  can  see  them  parting  just  as 
distinctly  as  though  it  was  yesterday.  He 
would  always  abuse  my  father  for  not  coming 
to  see  him.  *  Sam,'  he  would  say,  —  my  fa 
ther's  name  was  Sam,  —  'Sam,  why  on  earth 
is  it  that  you  never  come  to  see  me?  I've 
heard  of  you  within  ten  miles  of  my  planta 
tion,  and  you  have  never  shown  your  face  to 
us  once.  Do  you  think  we  can't  entertain 
you?  Why,  Sam,  I've  known  you  since  you 
were  n't  big  enough  to  lead  a  hound  dog. 
I  Ve  known  you  since  you  were  n't  knee  to 
a  grasshopper.' 

" '  Let  me  have  a  word,'  my  father  would 
put  in,  for  he  was  very  mild  in  speaking;  Met 
me  have  a  word,  Joe.  I  hope  you  don't  think 


140  CATTLE  BRANDS 

for  a  moment  that  I  would  n't  like  to  visit  you  ; 
now  do  you  ? ' 

" '  No,  I  don't  think  so,  Sam,  but  you  don't 
come.  That's  why  I'm  complaining.  You 
never  have  come  in  the  whole  ten  years  you  've 
been  sheriff,  and  you  know  that  we  have  voted 
for  you  to  a  man,  in  our  neck  of  the  woods.' 
My  father  felt  this  last  remark,  though  I  think 
he  never  realized  its  gravity  before,  but  he 
took  him  by  one  hand,  and  laying  the  other 
on  his  shoulder  said,  'Joe,  if  I  have  slighted 
you  in  the  past,  I  'm  glad  you  have  called  my 
attention  to  it.  Now,  let  me  tell  you  the  first 
time  that  my  business  takes  me  within  ten 
miles  of  your  place  I'll  make  it  a  point  to 
reach  your  house  and  stay  all  night,  and  longer 
if  I  can.' 

"< That's  all  I  ask,  Sam,'  was  his  only  re 
ply.  Now  I  've  learned  lots  of  the  ways  of  the 
world  since  then.  I  've  seen  people  pleasant  to 
each  other,  and  behind  their  backs  the  tune 
changed.  But  I  want  to  say  to  you  fellows 
that  those  two  old  boys  were  not  throwing  off 
on  each  other — not  a  little  bit.  They  meant 
every  word  and  meant  it  deep.  It  was  months 
afterwards,  and  father  had  been  gone  for  a 
week  when  he  came  home.  He  told  us  about 
his  visit  to  Joe  Evans.  It  was  winter  time,  and 
mother  and  us  boys  were  sitting  around  the 


RANGERING  141 

old  fireplace  in  the  evening.  <  I  never  saw  him 
so  embarrassed  before  in  my  life,'  said  father. 
<  I  did  ride  out  of  my  way,  but  I  was  glad  of 
the  chance.  Men  like  Joe  Evans  are  getting 
scarce.'  He  nodded  to  us  boys.  '  It  was  nearly 
dark  when  I  rode  up  to  his  gate.  He  recog 
nized  me  and  came  down  to  the  gate  to  meet 
me.  "  Howdy,  Sam,"  was  all  he  said.  There 
was  a  troubled  expression  in  his  face,  though 
he  looked  well  enough,  but  he  could  n't  sim 
ply  look  me  in  the  face.  Just  kept  his  eye  on 
the  ground.  He  motioned  for  a  nigger  boy 
and  said  to  him,  "Take  his  horse."  He 
started  to  lead  the  way  up  the  path,  when  I 
stopped  him.  "  Look  here,  Joe,"  I  said  to  him. 
"  Now,  if  there  's  anything  wrong,  anything 
likely  to  happen  in  the  family,  I  can  just  as 
well  drop  back  on  the  pike  and  stay  all  night 
with  some  of  the  neighbors.  You  know  I  'm 
acquainted  all  around  here."  He  turned  in  the 
path,  and  there  was  the  most  painful  look  in 
his  face  I  ever  saw  as  he  spoke:  "Hell,  no, 
Sam,  there 's  nothing  wrong.  We  've  got 
plenty  to  eat,  plenty  of  beds,  no  end  of  horse- 
feed,  but  by  G ,  Sam,  there  is  n't  a  drop 

of  whiskey  on  the  place !  " 

"  You  see  it  was  hoss  and  cabello,  and  Joe 
seemed  to  think  the  hoss  on  him  was  an  un 
pardonable  offense.  Salt  ?  You  '11  find  it  in  an 


142  CATTLE  BRANDS 

empty  one-spoon  baking-powder  can  over 
there.  In  those  panniers  that  belong  to  that  big 
sorrel  mule.  Look  at  Mexico  over  there  bury 
ing  his  fangs  in  the  venison,  will  you?" 

Ramrod  was  on  guard,  but  he  was  so  hungry 
himself  that  he  was  good  enough  to  let  the 
prisoners  eat  at  the  same  time,  although  he 
kept  them  at  a  respectable  distance.  He  was 
old  in  the  service,  and  had  gotten  his  name 
under  a  baptism  of  fire.  He  was  watching 
a  pass  once  for  smugglers  at  a  point  called 
Emigrant  Gap.  This  was  long  before  he  had 
come  to  the  present  company.  At  length  the 
man  he  was  waiting  for  came  along.  Ramrod 
went  after  him  at  close  quarters,  but  the  fel 
low  was  game  and  drew  his  gun.  When  the 
smoke  cleared  away,  Ramrod  had  brought 
down  his  horse  and  winged  his  man  right  and 
left.  The  smuggler  was  not  far  behind  on  the 
shoot,  for  Ramrod's  coat  and  hat  showed- he 
was  calling  for  him.  The  captain  was  josh 
ing  the  prisoner  about  his  poor  shooting  when 
Ramrod  brought  him  into  camp  and  they 
were  dressing  his  wounds.  "  Well,"  said  the 
fellow,  "I  tried  to  hard  enough,  but  I  could  n't 
find  him.  He  's  built  like  a  ramrod." 

After  breakfast  was  over  we  smoked  and 
yarned.  It  would  be  two-hour  guards  for  the 
day,  keeping  an  eye  on  the  prisoners  and 


RANGERING  143 

stock,  only  one  man  required;  so  we  would 
all  get  plenty  of  sleep.  Conajo  had  the  first 
guard  after  breakfast.  "  I  remember  once," 
said  Sergeant  Smoky,  as  he  crushed  a  pipe 
of  twist  with  the  heel  of  his  hand,  "  we  were 
camped  out  on  the  ' Sunset'  railway.  I  was 
a  corporal  at  the  time.  There  came  a  mes 
sage  one  day  to  our  captain,  to  send  a  man  up 
West  on  that  line  to  take  charge  of  a  mur 
derer.  The  result  was,  I  was  sent  by  the  first 
train  to  this  point.  When  I  arrived  I  found 
that  an  Irishman  had  killed  a  Chinaman.  It 
was  on  the  railroad,  at  a  bridge  construction 
camp,  that  the  fracas  took  place.  There  were 
something  like  a  hundred  employees  at  the 
camp,  and  they  ran  their  own  boarding-tent. 
They  had  a  Chinese  cook  at  this  camp;  in  fact, 
quite  a  number  of  Chinese  were  employed  at 
common  labor  on  the  road. 

"  Some  cavalryman,  it  was  thought,  in  pass 
ing  up  and  down  from  Fort  Stockton  to  points 
on  the  river,  had  lost  his  sabre,  and  one  of 
this  bridge  gang  had  found  it.  When  it  was 
brought  into  camp  no  one  would  have  the  old 
corn-cutter;  but  this  Irishman  took  a  shine  to 
it,  having  once  been  a  soldier  himself.  The 
result  was,  it  was  presented  to  him.  He  ground 
it  up  like  a  machette,  and  took  great  pride  in 
giving  exhibitions  with  it.  He  was  an  old  man 


144  CATTLE  BRANDS 

now,  the  storekeeper  for  the  iron  supplies,  a 
kind  of  trusty  job.  The  old  sabre  renewed 
his  youth  to  a  certain  extent,  for  he  used  it  in 
self-defense  shortly  afterwards.  This  Erin-go- 
bragh — his  name  was  McKay,  I  think  —  was 
in  the  habit  now  and  then  of  stealing  a  pie 
from  the  cook,  and  taking  it  into  his  own  tent 
and  eating  it  there.  The  Chink  kept  miss 
ing  his  pies,  and  got  a  helper  to  spy  out  the 
offender.  The  result  was  they  caught  the  old 
man  red-handed  in  the  act.  The  Chink  armed 
himself  with  the  biggest  butcher-knife  he  had 
and  went  on  the  warpath.  He  found  the  old 
fellow  sitting  in  his  storeroom  contentedly 
eating  the  pie.  The  old  man  had  his  eyes  on 
the  cook,  and  saw  the  knife  just  in  time  to 
jump  behind  some  kegs  of  nuts  and  bolts. 
The  Chink  followed  him  with  murder  in  his 
eye,  and  as  the  old  man  ran  out  of  the  tent  he 
picked  up  the  old  sabre.  Once  clear  of  the 
tent  he  turned  and  faced  him,  made  only  one 
pass,  and  cut  his  head  off  as  though  he  were 
beheading  a  chicken.  They  had  n't  yet  buried 
the  Chinaman  when  I  got  there.  I  'm  willing 
to  testify  it  was  an  artistic  job.  They  turned 
the  old  man  over  to  me,  and  I  took  him  down 
to  the  next  station,  where  an  old  alcalde  lived, 
—  Roy  Bean  by  name.  This  old  judge  was 
known  as  '  Law  west  of  the  Pecos,'  as  he 


RANGERING  145 

generally  construed  the  law  to  suit  his  own 
opinion  of  the  offense.  He  was  n't  even  strong 
on  testimony.  He  was  a  ranchman  at  this 
time,  so  when  I  presented  my  prisoner  he  only 
said,  <  Killed  a  Chinese,  did  he?  Well,  I  ain't 
got  time  to  try  the  case  to-day.  Cattle  suffer 
ing  for  water,  and  three  windmills  out  of  re 
pair.  Bring  him  back  in  the  morning.'  I  took 
the  old  man  back  to  the  hotel,  and  we  had  a 
jolly  good  time  together  that  day.  I  never  put 
a  string  on  him,  only  locked  the  door,  but  we 
slept  together.  The  next  morning  I  took  him 
before  the  alcalde.  Bean  held  court  in  >an  out 
house,  the  prisoner  seated  on  a  bale  of  flint 
hides.  Bean  was  not  only  judge  but  prose 
cutor,  as  well  as  counsel  for  the  defense. 
' Killed  a  Chinaman,  did  you?' 

"  '  I  did,  yer  Honor,'  was  the  prisoner's  re 
ply. 

"  I  suggested  to  the  court  that  the  prisoner 
be  informed  of  his  rights,  that  he  need  not 
plead  guilty  unless  he  so  desired. 

"  '  That  makes  no  difference  here,'  said  the 
court.  <  Gentlemen,  I  'm  busy  this  morning. 
I  've  got  to  raise  the  piping  out  of  a  two-hun 
dred-foot  well  to-day,  —  something  the  matter 
with  the  valve  at  the  bottom.  I  '11  just  glance 
over  the  law  a  moment.' 

"  He  rummaged  over  a  book  or  two  for  a 


146  CATTLE   BRANDS 

few  moments  and  then  said,  *  Here,  I  reckon 
this  is  near  enough.  I  find  in  the  revised  statute 
before  me,  in  the  killing  of  a  nigger  the  offend 
ing  party  was  fined  five  dollars.  A  Chinaman 
ought  to  be  half  as  good  as  a  nigger.  Stand 
up  and  receive  your  sentence.  What 's  your 
name  ? ' 

"<  Jerry  McKay,  your  Honor.' 

"Just  then  the  court  noticed  one  of  the 
vaqueros  belonging  to  the  ranch  standing  in 
the  door,  hat  in  hand,  and  he  called  to  him  in 
Spanish,  'Have  my  horse  ready,  I'll  be  through 
here  just  in  a  minute.' 

" '  McKay,'  said  the  court  as  he  gave  him 
a  withering  look,  '  I  '11  fine  you  two  dollars 
and  a  half  and  costs.  Officer,  take  charge  of 
the  prisoner  until  it 's  paid ! '  It  took  about 
ten  dollars  to  cover  everything,  which  I  paid, 
McKay  returning  it  when  he  reached  his  camp. 
Whoever  named  that  alcalde  '  Law  west  of 
the  Pecos '  knew  his  man." 

"I'll  bet  a  twist  of  dog,"  said  Ramrod, 
"  that  prisoner  with  the  black  whiskers  sabes 
English.  -Did  you  notice  him  paying  strict  at 
tention  to  Smoky's  little  talk?  He  reminds  me 
of  a  fellow  that  crouched  behind  his  horse  at 
the  fight  we  had  on  the  head  of  the  Arroyo 
Colorado  and  plugged  me  in  the  shoulder. 
What,  you  never  heard  of  it  ?  That 's  so, 


RANGERING  147 

Cushion  hasn't  been  with  us  but  a  few  months. 
Well,  it  was  in  '82,  down  on  the  river,  about 
fifty  miles  northwest  of  Brownsville.  Word 
came  in  one  day  that  a  big  band  of  horse- 
thieves  were  sweeping  the  country  of  every 
horse  they  could  gather.  There  was  a  number  . 
of  the  old  Cortina's  gang  known  to  be  still  on 
the  rustle.  When  this  report  came,  it  found 
eleven  men  in  camp.  We  lost  little  time  sad 
dling  up,  only  taking  five  days'  rations  with  us, 
for  they  were  certain  to  recross  the  river  be 
fore  that  time  in  case  we  failed  to  intercept 
them.  Every  Mexican  in  the  country  was 
terrorized.  All  they  could  tell  us  was  that 
there  was  plenty  of  ladrones  and  lots  of  horses, 
*  muchos  '  being  the  qualifying  word  as  to  the 
number  of  either. 

"  It  was  night  before  we  came  to  their  trail, 
and  to  our  surprise  they  were  heading  inland,  to 
the  north.  They  must  have  had  a  contract  to 
supply  the  Mexican  army  with  cavalry  horses. 
They  were  simply  sweeping  the  country,  tak 
ing  nothing  but  gentle  stock.  These  they 
bucked  in  strings,  and  led.  That  made  easy 
trailing,  as  each  string  left  a  distinct  trail.  The 
moon  was  splendid  that  night,  and  we  trailed 
as  easily  as  though  it  had  been  day.  We  did  n't 
halt  all  night  long  on  either  trail,  pegging 
along  at  a  steady  gait,  that  would  carry  us 


148  CATTLE  BRANDS 

inland  some  distance  before  morning.  Our 
scouts  aroused  every  ranch  within  miles  that 
we  passed  on  the  way,  only  to  have  reports 
exaggerated  as  usual.  One  thing  we  did  learn 
that  night,  and  that  was  that  the  robbers  were 
led  by  a  white  man.  He  was  described  in  the 
superlatives  that  the  Spanish  language  pos 
sesses  abundantly;  everything  from  the  horse 
he  rode  to  the  solid  braid  on  his  sombrero  was 
described  in  the  same  strain.  But  that  kind  of 
prize  was  the  kind  we  were  looking  for. 

"  On  the  head  of  the  Arroyo  Colorado  there 
is  a  broken  country  interspersed  with  glades 
and  large  openings.  We  felt  very  sure  that 
the  robbers  would  make  camp  somewhere  in 
that  country.  When  day  broke  the  freshness 
of  the  trail  surprised  and  pleased  us.  They 
could  n't  be  far  away.  Before  an  hour  passed, 
we  noticed  a  smoke  cloud  hanging  low  in  the 
morning  air  about  a  mile  ahead.  We  dis 
mounted  and  securely  tied  our  horses  and  pack 
stock.  Every  man  took  all  the  cartridges  he 
could  use,  and  was  itching  for  the  chance  to 
use  them.  We  left  the  trail,  and  to  conceal 
ourselves  took  to  the  brush  or  dry  arroyos  as 
a  protection  against  alarming  the  quarry.  They 
were  a  quarter  of  a  mile  off  when  we  first 
sighted  them.  We  began  to  think  the  reports 
were  right,  for  there  seemed  no  end  of  horses, 


RANGERING  149 

and  at  least  twenty-five  men.  By  dropping  back 
we  could  gain  one  of  those  dry  arroyos  which 
would  bring  us  within  one  hundred  yards  of 
their  camp.  A  young  fellow  by  the  name  of 
Rusou,  a  crack  shot,  was  acting  captain  in  the 
absence  of  our  officers.  As  we  backed  into 
the  arroyo  he  said  to  us,  *  If  there 's  a  white 
man  there,  leave  him  to  me.'  We  were  all 
satisfied  that  he  would  be  cared  for  properly 
at  Rusou's  hands,  and  silence  gave  consent. 
"Opposite  the  camp  we  wormed  out  of  the 
arroyo  like  a  skirmish  line,  hugging  the  ground 
for  the  one  remaining  little  knoll  between  the 
robbers  and  ourselves.  I  was  within  a  few 
feet  of  Rusou  as  we  sighted  the  camp  about 
seventy-five  yards  distant.  We  were  trying 
to  make  out  a  man  that  was  asleep,  at  least  he 
had  his  hat  over  his  face,  lying  on  a  blanket 
with  his  head  in  a  saddle.  We  concluded  he 
was  a  white  man,  if  there  was  one.  Our  sur 
vey  of  their  camp  was  cut  short  by  two  shots 
fired  at  us  by  two  pickets  of  theirs  posted  to 
our  left  about  one  hundred  yards.  No  one 
was  hit,  but  the  sleeping  man  jumped  to  his 
feet  with  a  six-shooter  in  each  hand.  I  heard 
Rusou  say  to  himself,  '  You  're  too  late,  my 
friend.'  His  carbine  spoke,  and  the  fellow  fell 
forward,  firing  both  guns  into  the  ground  at 
his  feet  as  he  went  down. 


150  CATTLE  BRANDS 

"  Then  the  stuff  was  off  and  she  opened  up 
in  earnest.  They  fought  all  right.  I  was  on 
my  knee  pumping  lead  for  dear  life,  and  as  I 
threw  my  carbine  down  to  refill  the  magazine, 
a  bullet  struck  it  in  the  heel  of  the  magazine 
with  sufficient  force  to  knock  me  backward. 
I  thought  I  was  hit  for  an  instant,  but  it  passed 
away  in  a  moment.  When  I  tried  to  work  the 
lever  I  saw  that  my  carbine  was  ruined.  I 
called  to  the  boys  to  notice  a  fellow  with  black 
whiskers  who  was  shooting  from  behind  his 
horse.  He  would  shoot  over  and  under  alter 
nately.  I  thought  he  was  shooting  at  me.  I 
threw  down  my  carbine  and  drew  my  six- 
shooter.  Just  then  I  got  a  plug  in  the  shoulder, 
and  things  got  dizzy  and  dark.  It  caught  me 
an  inch  above  the  nipple,  ranging  upward, — 
shooting  from  under,  you  see.  But  some  of 
the  boys  must  have  noticed  him,  for  he  deco 
rated  the  scene  badly  leaded,  when  it  was  over. 
I  was  unconscious  for  a  few  minutes,  and  when 
I  came  around  the  fight  had  ended. 

"  During  the  few  brief  moments  that  I  was 
knocked  out,  our  boys  had  closed  in  on  them 
and  mixed  it  with  them  at  short  range.  The 
thieves  took  to  such  horses  as  they  could  lay 
their  hands  on,  and  one  fellow  went  no  farther. 
A  six-shooter  halted  him  at  fifty  yards.  The 
boys  rounded  up  over  a  hundred  horses,  each 


RANGERING  151 

one  with  a  fiber  grass  halter  on,  besides  killing 
over  twenty  wounded  ones  to  put  them  out  of 
their  misery. 

"  It  was  a  nasty  fight.  Two  of  our  own  boys 
were  killed  and  three  were  wounded.  But 
then  you  ought  to  have  seen  the  other  fellows; 
we  took  no  prisoners  that  day.  Nine  men  lay 
dead.  Horses  were  dead  and  dying  all  around, 
and  the  wounded  ones  were  crying  in  agony. 

"This  white  man  proved  to  be  a  typical 
dandy,  a  queer  leader  for  such  a  gang.  He  was 
dressed  in  buckskin  throughout,  while  his 
sombrero  was  as  fine  as  money  could  buy. 
You  can  know  it  was  a  fine  one,  for  it  was  sold 
for  company  prize  money,  and  brought  three 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  He  had  nearly  four 
thousand  dollars  on  his  person  and  in  his  sad 
dle.  A  belt  which  we  found  on  him  had  eleven 
hundred  in  bills  and  six  hundred  in  good  old 
yellow  gold.  The  silver  in  the  saddle  was 
mixed,  Mexican  and  American  about  equally. 

"  He  had  as  fine  a  gold  watch  in  his  pocket 
as  you  ever  saw,  while  his  firearms  and  sad 
dle  were  beauties.  He  was  a  dandy  all  right, 
and  a  fine-looking  man,  over  six  feet  tall,  with 
swarthy  complexion  and  hair  like  a  raven's 
wing.  He  was  too  nice  a  man  for  the  com 
pany  he  was  in.  We  looked  the  ' Black  Book' 
over  afterward  for  any  description  of  him.  At 


152  CATTLE  BRANDS 

that  time  there  were  over  four  thousand  crim 
inals  and  outlaws  described  in  it,  but  there  was 
no  description  that  would  fit  him.  For  this 
reason  we  supposed  that  he  must  live  far  in 
the  interior  of  Mexico. 

"  Our  saddle  stock  was  brought  up,  and  our 
wounded  were  bandaged  as  best  they  could  be. 
My  wound  was  the  worst,  so  they  concluded 
to  send  me  back.  One  of  the  boys  went  with 
me,  and  we  made  a  fifty-mile  ride  before  we 
got  medical  attention.  While  I  was  in  the 
hospital  I  got  my  divvy  of  the  prize  money, 
something  over  four  hundred  dollars." 

When  Ramrod  had  finished  his  narrative, 
he  was  compelled  to  submit  to  a  cross-exam 
ination  at  the  hands  of  Cushion-foot,  for  he 
delighted  in  a  skirmish.  All  his  questions 
being  satisfactorily  answered,  Cushion-foot 
drew  up  his  saddle  alongside  of  where  Ram 
rod  lay  stretched  on  a  blanket,  and  seated  him 
self.  This  was  a  signal  to  the  rest  of  us  that 
he  had  a  story,  so  we  drew  near,  for  he  spoke 
so  low  that  you  must  be  near  to  hear  him. 
His  years  on  the  frontier  were  rich  in  experi 
ence,  though  he  seldom  referred  to  them. 

Addressing  himself  to  Ramrod,  he  began: 
"  You  might  live  amongst  these  border  Mex 
icans  all  your  life  and  think  you  knew  them; 
but  every  day  you  live  you  '11  see  new  fea- 


RANGERING  153 

tures  about  them.  You  can't  calculate  on  them 
with  any  certainty.  What  they  ought  to  do 
by  any  system  of  reasoning  they  never  do. 
They  will  steal  an  article  and  then  give  it 
away.  You  've  heard  the  expression  '  robbing 
Peter  to  pay  Paul.'  Well,  my  brother  played 
the  role  of  Paul  once  himself.  It  was  out  in 
Arizona  at  a  place  called  Las  Palomas.  He 
was  a  stripling  of  a  boy,  but  could  palaver 
Spanish  in  a  manner  that  would  make  a  Mex 
ican  ashamed  of  his  ancestry.  He  was  about 
eighteen  at  this  time  and  was  working  in  a 
store.  One  morning  as  he  stepped  outside  the 
store,  where  he  slept,  he  noticed  quite  a  com 
motion  over  around  the  custom-house.  He 
noticed  that  the  town  was  full  of  strangers,  as 
he  crossed  over  toward  the  crowd.  He  was 
suddenly  halted  and  searched  by  a  group  of 
strange  men.  Fortunately  he  had  no  arms  on 
him,  and  his  ability  to  talk  to  them,  together 
with  his  boyish  looks,  ingratiated  him  in  their 
favor,  and  they  simply  made  him  their  prisoner. 
Just  at  that  moment  an  alcalde  rode  up  to  the 
group  about  him,  and  was  ordered  to  halt. 
He  saw  at  a  glance  they  were  revolutionists, 
and  whirling  his  mount  attempted  to  escape, 
when  one  of  them  shot  him  from  his  horse. 
The  young  fellow  then  saw  what  he  was  into. 
"  They  called  themselves  Timochis.  They 


154  CATTLE  BRANDS 

belonged  in  Mexico,  and  a  year  or  so  before 
they  refused  to  pay  taxes  that  the  Mexican 
government  levied  on  them,  and  rebelled. 
Their  own  government  sent  soldiers  after 
them,  resulting  in  about  eight  hundred  sol 
diers  being  killed,  when  they  dispersed  into 
small  bands,  one  of  which  was  paying  Las 
Palomas  a  social  call  that  morning.  Along 
the  Rio  Grande  it  is  only  a  short  step  at  best 
from  revolution  to  robbery,  and  either  calling 
has  its  variations. 

"  Well,  they  took  my  brother  with  them  to 
act  as  spokesman  in  looting  the  town.  The 
custom-house  was  a  desired  prize,  and  when 
my  brother  interpreted  their  desires  to  the 
collector,  he  consented  to  open  the  safe,  as  life 
had  charms  for  him,  even  in  Arizona.  Uncle 
Sam's  strong-box  yielded  up  over  a  thousand 
dobes.  They  turned  their  attention  to  the  few 
small  stores  of  the  town,  looting  them  of  the 
money  and  goods  as  they  went.  There  was 
quite  a  large  store  kept  by  a  Frenchman,  who 
refused  to  open,  when  he  realized  that  the 
Timochi  was  honoring  the  town  with  his  pre 
sence.  They  put  the  boy  in  the  front  and  or 
dered  him  to  call  on  the  Frenchman  to  open 
up.  He  said  afterward  that  he  put  in  a  word 
for  himself,  telling  him  not  to  do  any  shoot 
ing  through  the  door.  After  some  persuasion 


RANGERING  155 

the  store  was  opened  and  proved  to  be  quite 
a  prize.  Then  they  turned  their  attention 
to  the  store  where  the  boy  worked.  He  un 
locked  it  and  waved  them  in.  He  went  into 
the  cellar  and  brought  up  half  a  dozen  bottles 
of  imported  French  Cognac,  and  invited  the 
chief  bandit  and  his  followers  to  be  good 
enough  to  join  him.  In  the  mean  time  they 
had  piled  up  on  the  counters  such  things  as 
they  wanted.  They  made  no  money  demand 
on  him,  the  chief  asking  him  to  set  a  price  on 
the  things  they  were  taking.  He  made  a  hasty 
inventory  of  the  goods  and  gave  the  chief  the 
figures,  about  one  hundred  and  ten  dollars. 
The  chief  opened  a  sack  that  they  had  taken 
from  the  custom-house  and  paid  the  bill  with 
a  flourish. 

"  The  chief  then  said  that  he  had  a  favor  to 
ask :  that  my  brother  should  cheer  for  the  rev 
olutionists,  to  identify  him  as  a  friend.  That 
was  easy,  so  he  mounted  the  counter  and  gave 
three  cheers  of  <  Viva  los  Timochis!'  He  got 
down  off  the  counter,  took  the  bandit  by  the 
arm,  and  led  him  to  the  rear,  where  with 
glasses  in  the  air  they  drank  to  '  Viva  los 
Timochis!'  again.  Then  the  chief  and  his 
men  withdrew  and  recrossed  the  river.  It 
was  the  best  day's  trade  he  had  had  in  a  long 
time.  Now,  here  comes  in  the  native.  While 


156  CATTLE   BRANDS 

the  boy  did  everything  from  compulsion  and 
policy,  the  native  element  looked  upon  him 
with  suspicion.  The  owners  of  the  store, 
knowing  that  this  suspicion  existed,  advised 
him  to  leave,  and  he  did." 

The  two  prisoners  were  sleeping  soundly. 
Sleep  comes  easily  to  tired  men,  and  soon  all 
but  the  solitary  guard  were  wrapped  in  sleep, 
to  fight  anew  in  rangers'  dreams  scathless 
battles ! 

There  was  not  lacking  the  pathetic  shade 
in  the  redemption  of  this  State  from  crime 
and  lawlessness.  In  the  village  burying- 
ground  of  Round  Rock,  Texas,  is  a  simple 
headstone  devoid  of  any  lettering  save  the 
name  "  Sam  Bass."  His  long  career  of  crime 
and  lawlessness  would  fill  a  good-sized  vol 
ume.  He  met  his  death  at  the  hands  of  Texas 
Rangers.  Years  afterward  a  woman,  with  all 
the  delicacy  of  her  sex,  and  knowing  the 
odium  that  was  attached  to  his  career,  came 
to  this  town  from  her  home  in  the  North  and 
sought  out  his  grave.  As  only  a  woman  can, 
when  some  strong  tie  of  affection  binds,  this 
woman  went  to  work  to  mark  the  last  resting- 
place  of  the  wayward  man.  Concealing  her 
own  identity,  she  performed  these  sacred  rites, 
clothing  in  mystery  her  relation  to  the  crim- 


RANGERING  157 

inal.  The  people  of  the  village  would  not 
have  withheld  their  services  in  well-meant 
friendship,  but  she  shrank  from  them,  being 
a  stranger. 

A  year  passed,  and  she  came  again.  This 
time  she  brought  the  stone  which  marks  his 
last  resting-place.  The  chivalry  of  this  gen 
erous  people  was  aroused  in  admiration  of  a 
woman  that  would  defy  the  calumny  attached 
to  an  outlaw.  While  she  would  have  shrunk 
from  kindness,  had  she  been  permitted,  such 
devotion  could  not  go  unchallenged.  So  she 
disclosed  her  identity. 

She  was  his  sister. 

Bass  was  Northern  born,  and  this  sister  was 
the  wife  of  a  respectable  practicing  physician  in 
Indiana.  Womanlike,  her  love  for  a  wayward 
brother  followed  him  beyond  his  disgraceful 
end.  With  her  own  hands  she  performed  an 
act  that  has  few  equals,  as  a  testimony  of  love 
and  affection  for  her  own. 

For  many  years  afterward  she  came  annu 
ally,  her  timidity  having  worn  away  after  the 
generous  reception  accorded  her  at  the  hands 
of  a  hospitable  people. 


VIII 
AT   COMANCHE  FORD 

THERE'S  our  ford,"  said  Juan,  —  our 
half-blood  trailer,  —  pointing  to  the 
slightest  sag  in  a  low  range  of  hills 
distant  twenty  miles. 

We  were  Texas  Rangers.  It  was  nearly 
noon  of  a  spring  day,  and  we  had  halted  on 
sighting  our  destination,  —  Comanche  Ford 
on  the  Concho  River.  Less  than  three  days 
before,  we  had  been  lounging  around  camp, 
near  Tepee  City,  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  miles  northeast  of  our  present  desti 
nation.  A  courier  had  reached  us  with  an 
emergency  order,  which  put  every  man  in  the 
saddle  within  an  hour  after  its  receipt. 

An  outfit  with  eight  hundred  cattle  had 
started  west  up  the  Concho.  Their  destination 
was  believed  to  be  New  Mexico.  Suspicion 
rested  on  them,  as  they  had  failed  to  take  out 
inspection  papers  for  moving  the  cattle,  and 
what  few  people  had  seen  them  declared 
that  one  half  the  cattle  were  brand  burnt  or 
blotched  beyond  recognition.  Besides,  they 
had  an  outfit  of  twenty  heavily  armed  men,  or 


AT  COMANCHE  FORD  159 

twice  as  many  as  were  required  to  manage  a 
herd  of  that  size. 

Our  instructions  were  to  make  this  crossing 
with  all  possible  haste,  and  if  our  numbers 
were  too  few,  there  to  await  assistance  before 
dropping  down  the  river  to  meet  the  herd. 
When  these  courier  orders  reached  us  at  Te 
pee,  they  found  only  twelve  men  in  camp,  with 
not  an  officer  above  a  corporal.  Fortunately 
we  had  Dad  Root  with  us,  a  man  whom  every 
man  in  our  company  would  follow  as  though 
he  had  been  our  captain.  He  had  not  the  ad 
vantage  in  years  that  his  name  would  indicate, 
but  he  was  an  exceedingly  useful  man  in  the 
service.  He  could  resighta  gun,  shoe  a  horse, 
or  empty  a  six-shooter  into  a  tree  from  the 
back  of  a  running  horse  with  admirable  accu 
racy.  In  dressing  a  gun-shot  wound,  he  had 
the  delicate  touch  of  a  woman.  Every  man 
in  the  company  went  to  him  with  his  petty 
troubles,  and  came  away  delighted.  There 
fore  there  was  no  question  as  to  who  should 
be  our  leader  on  this  raid;  no  one  but  Dad 
was  even  considered. 

Sending  a  brief  note  to  the  adjutant-gen 
eral  by  this  same  courier,  stating  that  we  had 
started  with  twelve  men,  we  broke  camp,  and 
in  less  than  an  hour  were  riding  southwest. 
One  thing  which  played  into  our  hands  in 


160  CATTLE  BRANDS 

making  this  forced  ride  was  the  fact  that  we 
had  a  number  of  extra  horses  on  hand.  For  a 
few  months  previous  we  had  captured  quite  a 
number  of  stolen  horses,  and  having  no  chance 
to  send  into  the  settlements  where  they  be 
longed,  we  used  them  as  extra  riding  horses. 
With  our  pack  mules  light  and  these  extra 
saddlers  for  a  change,  we  covered  the  country 
rapidly.  Sixteen  hours  a  day  in  the  saddle 
makes  camp-fires  far  apart.  Dad,  too,  could 
always  imagine  that  a  few  miles  farther  on 
we  would  find  a  fine  camping  spot,  and  his 
views  were  law  to  us. 

We  had  been  riding  hard  for  an  hour  across 
a  tableland  known  as  Cibollo  Mesa,  and  now 
for  the  first  time  had  halted  at  sighting  our 
destination,  yet  distant  three  hours'  hard  rid 
ing.  "  Boys,"  said  Dad,  "  we  '11  make  it  early 
to-day.  I  know  a  fine  camping  spot  near  a  big 
pool  in  the  river.  After  supper  we  '11  all  take 
a  swim,  and  feel  as  fresh  as  pond-lilies." 

"  Oh,  we  swim  this  evening,  do  we  ? "  in 
quired  Orchard.  "  That 's  a  Christian  idea, 
Dad,  cleanliness,  you  know.  Do  we  look  as 
though  a  swim  would  improve  our  good 
looks?"  The  fact  that,  after  a  ride  like  the 
one  we  were  near  finishing,  every  man  of  us 
was  saturated  with  fine  alkaline  dust,  made 
the  latter  question  ludicrous. 


AT  COMANCHE  FORD          161 

For  this  final  ride  we  changed  horses  for 
the  last  time  on  the  trip,  and  after  a  three 
hours'  ride  under  a  mid-day  torrid  sun,  the 
shade  of  Concho's  timber  and  the  companion 
ship  of  running  water  were  ours.  We  rode 
with  a  whoop  into  the  camp  which  Dad  had 
had  in  his  mind  all  morning,  and  found  it 
a  paradise.  We  fell  out  of  our  saddles,  and 
tired  horses  were  rolling  and  groaning  all 
around  us  in  a  few  minutes.  The  packs  were 
unlashed  with  the  same  alacrity,  while  horses, 
mules,  and  men  hurried  to  the  water.  With 
the  exception  of  two  horses  on  picket,  it  was 
a  loose  camp  in  a  few  moments'  time.  There 
was  no  thought  of  eating  now,  with  such  in 
viting  swimming  pools  as  the  spring  freshets 
had  made. 

Dad  soon  located  the  big  pool,  for  he  had 
been  there  before,  and  shortly  a  dozen  men 
floundered  and  thrashed  around  in  it  like  a 
school  of  dolphins.  On  one  side  of  the  pool 
was  a  large  sloping  rock,  from  which  splendid 
diving  could  be  had.  On  this  rock  we  gathered 
like  kid  goats  on  a  stump,  or  sunned  ourselves 
like  lizards.  To  get  the  benefit  of  the  deepest 
water,  only  one  could  dive  at  a  time.  We 
were  so  bronzed  from  the  sun  that  when  un 
dressed  the  protected  parts  afforded  a  striking 
contrast  to  the  brown  bands  about  our  necks. 


162  CATTLE   BRANDS 

Orchard  was  sitting  on  the  rock  waiting  for 
his  turn  to  dive,  when  Long  John,  patting 
his  naked  shoulder,  said  admiringly, — 

"  Orchard,  if  I  had  as  purty  a  plump  shoulder 
as  you  have,  I  'd  have  my  picture  taken  kind 
of  half  careless  like  — like  the  girls  do  some 
times.  Wear  one  of  those  far-away  looks,  roll 
up  your  eyes,  and  throw  up  your  head  like  you 
was  listening  for  it  to  thunder.  Then  while 
in  that  attitude,  act  as  if  you  did  n't  notice 
and  let  all  your  clothing  fall  entirely  off  your 
shoulder.  If  you  '11  have  your  picture  taken 
that  way  and  give  me  one,  I  '11  promise  you 
to  set  a  heap  of  store  by  it,  old  man." 

Orchard  looked  over  the  edge  of  the  rock 
at  his  reflection  in  the  water,  and  ventured, 
"  Would  n't  I  need  a  shave  ?  and  ought  n't 
I  to  have  a  string  of  beads  around  my  swan- 
like  neck,  with  a  few  spangles  on  it  to  glitter 
and  sparkle  ?  I  'd  have  to  hold  my  right  hand 
over  this  old  gun  scar  in  my  left  shoulder,  so  as 
not  to  mar  the  beauty  of  the  picture.  Remind 
me  of  it,  John,  and  I  '11  have  some  taken,  and 
you  shall  have  one." 

A  few  minutes  later  Happy  Jack  took  his 
place  on  the  rim  of  the  rock  to  make  a  dive, 
his  magnificent  physique  of  six  feet  and  two 
hundred  pounds  looming  up  like  a  Numid- 
ian  cavalryman,  when  Dad  observed,  "  How 


AT   COMANCHE  FORD          163 

comes  it.  Jack,  that  you  are  so  pitted  in  the 
face  and  neck  with  pox-marks,  and  there  's 
none  on  your  body?  " 

"Just  because  they  come  that  way,  I  reckon," 
was  the  answer  vouchsafed.  "  You  may  think 
I  'm  funning,  lads,  but  I  never  felt  so  su 
premely  happy  in  all  my  life  as  when  I  got  well 
of  the  smallpox.  I  had  one  hundred  and  ninety 
dollars  in  my  pocket  when  I  took  down  with 
them,  and  only  had  eight  left  when  I  got  up 
and  was  able  to  go  to  work."  Here,  as  he 
poised  on  tiptoe,  with  his  hands  gracefully 
arched  over  his  head  for  a  dive,  he  was  arrested 
in  the  movement  by  a  comment  of  one  of 
the  boys,  to  the  effect  that  he  "  could  n't  see 
anything  in  that  to  make  a  man  so  supremely 


He  turned  his  head  halfway  round  at  the 
speaker,  and  never  losing  his  poise,  remarked, 
"  Well,  but  you  must  recollect  that  there  was 
five  of  us  taken  down  at  the  same  time,  and 
the  other  four  died,"  and  he  made  a  grace 
ful  spring,  boring  a  hole  in  the  water,  which 
seethed  around  him,  arising  a  moment  later 
throwing  water  like  a  porpoise,  as  though  he 
wouldn't  exchange  his  position  in  life,  hum 
ble  as  it  was,  with  any  one  of  a  thousand  dead 
heroes. 

After  an  hour  in  the  water  and  a  critical 


164  CATTLE  BRANDS 

examination  of  all  the  old  gun-shot  wounds  of 
our  whole  squad,  and  the  consequent  verdict 
that  it  was  simply  impossible  to  kill  a  man, 
we  returned  to  camp  and  began  getting  supper. 
There  was  no  stomach  so  sensitive  amongst 
us  that  it  could  n't  assimilate  bacon,  beans,  and 
black  coffee. 

When  we  had  done  justice  to  the  supper, 
the  twilight  hours  of  the  evening  were  spent 
in  making  camp  snug  for  the  night.  Every 
horse  or  mule  was  either  picketed  or  hobbled. 
Every  man  washed  his  saddle  blankets,  as  the 
long  continuous  ride  had  made  them  rancid 
with  sweat.  The  night  air  was  so  dry  and 
warm  that  they  would  even  dry  at  night.  There 
was  the  usual  target  practice  and  the  never- 
ending  cleaning  of  firearms.  As  night  settled 
over  the  camp,  everything  was  in  order.  The 
blankets  were  spread,  and  smoking  and  yarn 
ing  occupied  the  time  until  sleep  claimed  us. 

"  Talking  about  the  tight  places,"  said  Or 
chard,  "  in  which  a  man  often  finds  himself  in 
this  service,  reminds  me  of  a  funny  experience 
which  I  once  had,  out  on  the  head-waters 
of  the  Brazos.  I  Ve  smelt  powder  at  short 
range,  and  I  'm  willing  to  admit  there  's  no 
thing  fascinating  in  it.  But  this  time  I  got 
buffaloed  by  a  bear. 

"  There  are  a  great  many  brakes  on  the  head 


AT   COMANCHE  FORD          165 

of  the  Brazos,  and  in  them  grow  cedar  thick 
ets.  I  forget  now  what  the  duty  was  that  we 
were  there  on,  but  there  were  about  twenty 
of  us  in  the  detachment  at  the  time.  One 
morning,  shortly  after  daybreak,  another  lad 
and  myself  walked  out  to  unhobble  some  extra 
horses  which  we  had  with  us.  The  horses 
had  strayed  nearly  a  mile  from  camp,  and  when 
we  found  them  they  were  cutting  up  as  if  they 
had  been  eating  loco  weed  for  a  month.  When 
we  came  up  to  them,  we  saw  that  they  were 
scared.  These  horses  could  n't  talk,  but  they 
told  us  that  just  over  the  hill  was  something 
they  were  afraid  of. 

"  We  crept  up  the  little  hill,  and  there  over 
in  a  draw  was  the  cause  of  their  fear,  —  a  big 
old  lank  Cinnamon.  He  was  feeding  along, 
heading  for  a  thicket  of  about  ten  acres.  The 
lad  who  was  with  me  stayed  and  watched  him, 
while  I  hurried  back,  unhobbled  the  horses, 
and  rushed  them  into  camp.  I  hustled  out 
every  man,  and  thev  cinched  their  hulls  on 
those  horses  rapidly.  By  the  time  we  had 
reached  the  lad  who  had  stayed  to  watch  him, 
the  bear  had  entered  the  thicket,  but  un- 
alarmed.  Some  fool  suggested  the  idea  that 
we  could  drive  him  out  in  the  open  and  rope 
him.  The  lay  of  the  land  would  suggest  such 
an  idea,  for  beyond  this  motte  of  cedar  lay  an 


166  CATTLE  BRANDS 

impenetrable  thicket  of  over  a  hundred  acres, 
which  we  thought  he  would  head  for  if 
alarmed.  There  was  a  ridge  of  a  divide  be 
tween*  these  cedar  brakes,  and  if  the  bear 
should  attempt  to  cross  over,  he  would  make 
a  fine  mark  for  a  rope. 

"  Well,  I  always  was  handy  with  a  rope,  and 
the  boys  knew  it,  so  I  and  three  others  who 
could  twirl  a  rope  were  sent  around  on  this 
divide,  to  rope  him  in  case  he  came  out.  The 
others  left  their  horses  and  made  a  half-circle 
drive  through  the  grove,  beating  the  brush  and 
burning  powder  as  though  it  did  n't  cost  any 
thing.  We  ropers  up  on  the  divide  scattered 
out,  hiding  ourselves  as  much  as  we  could  in 
the  broken  places.  We  wanted  to  get  him  out 
in  the  clear  in  case  he  played  nice.  He  must 
have  been  a  sullen  old  fellow,  for  we  were 
beginning  to  think  they  had  missed  him  or  he 
had  holed,  when  he  suddenly  lumbered  out 
directly  opposite  me  and  ambled  away  towards 
the  big  thicket. 

"  I  was  riding  a  cream-colored  horse,  and 
he  was  as  good  a  one  as  ever  was  built  on 
four  pegs,  except  that  he  was  nervous.  He 
had  never  seen  a  bear,  and  when  I  gave  him 
the  rowel,  he  went  after  that  bear  like  a  cat 
after  a  mouse.  The  first  sniff  he  caught  of 
the  bear,  he  whirled  quicker  than  lightning, 


AT  COMANCHE  FORD          167 

but  I  had  made  my  cast,  and  the  loop  settled 
over  Mr.  Bear's  shoulders,  with  one  of  his 
fore  feet  through  it.  I  had  tied  the  rope  in  a 
hard  knot  to  the  pommel,  and  the  way  my 
horse  checked  that  bear  was  a  caution.  It 
must  have  made  bruin  mad.  My  horse  snorted 
and  spun  round  like  a  top,  and  in  less  time 
than  it  takes  to  tell  it,  there  was  a  bear,  a 
cream-colored  horse,  and  a  man  sandwiched 
into  a  pile  on  the  ground,  and  securely  tied 
with  a  three-eighths-inch  rope.  The  horse  had 
lashed  me  into  the  saddle  by  winding  the  rope, 
and  at  the  same  time  windlassed  the  bear  in 
on  top  of  us.  The  horse  cried  with  fear  as 
though  he  was  being  burnt  to  death,  while  the 
bear  grinned  and  blew  his  breath  in  my  face. 
The  running  noose  in  the  rope  had  cut  his 
wind  so  badly,  he  could  hardly  offer  much 
resistance.  It  was  a  good  thing  he  had  his 
wind  cut,  or  he  would  have  made  me  sorry  I 
enlisted.  I  did  n't  know  it  at  the  time,  but  my 
six-shooter  had  fallen  out  of  the  holster,  while 
the  horse  was  lying  on  my  carbine. 

"  The  other  three  rode  up  and  looked  at  me, 
and  they  all  needed  killing.  Horse,  bear,  and 
man  were  so  badly  mixed  up,  they  dared  not 
shoot.  One  laughed  till  he  cried,  another  one 
was  so  near  limp  he  looked  like  a  ghost,  while 
one  finally  found  his  senses  and,  dismounting, 


i68  CATTLE  BRANDS 

cut  the  rope  in  half  a  dozen  places  and  untied 
the  bundle.  My  horse  floundered  to  his  feet 
and  ran  off,  but  before  the  bear  could  free  the 
noose,  the  boys  got  enough  lead  into  him  at 
close  quarters  to  hold  him  down.  The  entire 
detachment  came  out  of  the  thicket,  and  their 
hilarity  knew  no  bounds.  I  was  the  only  man 
in  the  crowd  who  did  n't  enjoy  the  bear  chase. 
Right  then  I  made  a  resolve  that  hereafter, 
when  volunteers  are  called  for  to  rope  a  bear, 
my  accomplishments  in  that  line  will  remain 
unmentioned  by  me.  I  '11  eat  my  breakfast 
first,  anyhow,  and  think  it  over  carefully." 

"Dogs  and  horses  are  very  much  alike 
about  a  bear,"  said  one  of  the  boys.  "  Take  a 
dog  that  never  saw  a  bear  in  his  life,  and  let 
him  get  a  sniff  of  one,  and  he  '11  get  up  his 
bristles  like  a  javeline  and  tuck  his  tail  and 
look  about  for  good  backing  or  a  clear  field 
to  run." 

Long  John  showed  symptoms  that  he  had 
some  yarn  to  relate,  so  we  naturally  remained 
silent  to  give  him  a  chance,  in  case  the  spirit 
moved  in  him.  Throwing  a  brand  into  the 
fire  after  lighting  his  cigarette,  he  stretched 
himself  on  the  ground,  and  the  expected  hap 
pened. 

"A  few  years  ago,  while  rangering  down 
the  country,"  said  he, "  four  of  us  had  trailed 


AT   COMANCHE  FORD  169 

some  horse-thieves  down  on  the  Rio  Grande, 
when  they  gave  us  the  slip  by  crossing  over 
into  Mexico.  We  knew  the  thieves  were  just 
across  the  river,  so  we  hung  around  a  few 
days,  in  the  hope  of  catching  them,  for  if  they 
should  recross  into  Texas  they  were  our  meat. 
Our  plans  were  completely  upset  the  next 
morning,  by  the  arrival  of  twenty  United 
States  cavalrymen  on  the  cold  trail  of  four 
deserters.  The  fact  that  these  deserters  were 
five  days  ahead  and  had  crossed  into  Mexico 
promptly  on  reaching  the  river,  did  not  pre 
vent  this  squad  of  soldiers  from  notifying  both 
villages  on  each  side  of  the  river  as  to  their 
fruitless  errand.  They  could  n't  follow  their 
own  any  farther,  and  they  managed  to  scare 
our  quarry  into  hiding  in  the  interior.  We 
waited  until  the  soldiers  returned  to  the  post, 
when  we  concluded  we  would  take  a  little 
pasear  over  into  Mexico  on  our  own  account. 
"We  called  ourselves  horse-buyers.  The 
government  was  paying  like  thirty  dollars  for 
deserters,  and  in  case  we  run  across  them, 
we  figured  it  would  pay  expenses  to  bring 
them  out.  These  deserters  were  distinguish 
able  wherever  they  went  by  the  size  of  their 
horses;  besides,  they  had  two  fine  big  Ameri 
can  mules  for  packs.  They  were  marked  right 
for  that  country.  Everything  about  them  was 


170  CATTLE  BRANDS 

muy  grande.  We  were  five  days  overtaking 
them,  and  then  at  a  town  one  hundred  and 
forty  miles  in  the  interior.  They  had  cele 
brated  their  desertion  the  day  previous  to  our 
arrival  by  getting  drunk,  and  when  the  horse- 
buyers  arrived  they  were  in  jail.  This  last 
condition  rather  frustrated  our  plans  for  their 
capture,  as  we  expected  to  kidnap  them  out. 
But  now  we  had  red  tape  authorities  to  deal 
with. 

"  We  found  the  horses,  mules,  and  accoutre 
ments  in  a  corral.  They  would  be  no  trouble 
to  get,  as  the  bill  for  their  keep  was  the  only 
concern  of  the  corral-keeper.  Two  of  the 
boys  who  were  in  the  party  could  palaver 
Spanish,  so  they  concluded  to  visit  the  alcalde 
of  the  town,  inquiring  after  horses  in  general 
and  incidentally  finding  out  when  our  desert 
ers  would  be  released.  The  alcalde  received 
the  boys  with  great  politeness,  for  Americans 
were  rare  visitors  in  his  town,  and  after  giv 
ing  them  all  the  information  available  regard 
ing  horses,  the  subject  innocently  changed  to 
the  American  prisoners  in  jail.  The  alcalde 
informed  them  that  he  was  satisfied  they  were 
deserters,  and  not  knowing  just  what  to  do 
with  them  he  had  sent  a  courier  that  very 
morning  to  the  governor  for  instructions  in 
the  matter.  He  estimated  it  would  require  at 


AT   COMANCHE  FORD          171 

least  ten  days  to  receive  the  governor's  reply. 
In  the  mean  time,  much  as  he  regretted  it, 
they  would  remain  prisoners.  Before  parting, 
those  two  innocents  permitted  their  host  to 
open  a  bottle  of  wine  as  an  evidence  of  the 
friendly  feeling,  and  at  the  final  leave-taking, 
they  wasted  enough  politeness  on  each  other 
to  win  a  woman. 

"  When  the  boys  returned  to  us  other  two, 
we  were  at  our  wits'  end.  We  were  getting 
disappointed  too  often.  The  result  was  that 
we  made  up  our  minds  that  rather  than  throw 
up,  we  would  take  those  deserters  out  of  jail 
and  run  the  risk  of  getting  away  with  them. 
We  had  everything  in  readiness  an  hour  be 
fore  nightfall.  We  explained,  to  the  satisfac 
tion  of  the  Mexican  hostler  who  had  the  stock 
in  charge,  that  the  owners  of  these  animals 
were  liable  to  be  detained  in  jail  possibly  a 
month,  and  to  avoid  the  expense  of  their 
keeping,  we  would  settle  the  bill  for  our 
friends  and  take  the  stock  with  us.  When  the 
time  came  every  horse  was  saddled  and  the 
mules  packed  and  in  readiness.  We  had  even 
moved  our  own  stock  into  the  same  corral, 
which  was  only  a  short  distance  from  the 
jail. 

"  As  night  set  in  we  approached  the  car- 
seL  The  turnkey  answered  our  questions  very 


172  CATTLE   BRANDS 

politely  through  a  grated  iron  door,  and  to  our 
request  to  speak  with  the  prisoners,  he  regret 
ted  that  they  were  being  fed  at  that  moment, 
and  we  would  have  to  wait  a  few  minutes. 
He  unbolted  the  door,  however,  and  offered 
to  show  us  into  a  side  room,  an  invitation  we 
declined.  Instead,  we  relieved  him  of  his  keys 
and  made  known  our  errand.  When  he  dis 
covered  that  we  were  armed  and  he  was  our 
prisoner,  he  was  speechless  with  terror.  It 
was  short  work  to  find  the  men  we  wanted 
and  march  them  out,  locking  the  gates  be 
hind  us  and  taking  jailer  and  keys  with  us. 
Once  in  the  saddle,  we  bade  the  poor  turnkey 
good-by  and  returned  him  his  keys. 

"  We  rode  fast,  but  in  less  than  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  there  was  a  clanging  of  bells  which 
convinced  us  that  the  alarm  had  been  given. 
Our  prisoners  took  kindly  to  the  rescue  and 
rode  willingly,  but  we  were  careful  to  conceal 
our  identity  or  motive.  We  felt  certain  there 
would  be  pursuit,  if  for  no  other  purpose,  to 
justify  official  authority.  We  felt  easy,  for  we 
were  well  mounted,  and  if  it  came  to  a  pinch, 
we  would  burn  powder  with  them,  one  round 
at  least. 

"  Before  half  an  hour  had  passed,  we  were 
aware  that  we  were  pursued.  We  threw  off 
the  road  at  right  angles  and  rode  for  an  hour. 


AT   COMANCHE   FORD          173 

Then,  with  the  North  Star  for  a  guide,  we  put 
over  fifty  miles  behind  us  before  sunrise.  It 
was  impossible  to  secrete  ourselves  the  next 
day,  for  we  were  compelled  to  have  water  for 
ourselves  and  stock.  To  conceal  the  fact  that 
our  friends  were  prisoners,  we  returned  them 
their  arms  after  throwing  away  their  ammuni 
tion.  We  had  to  enter  several  ranches  during 
the  day  to  secure  food  and  water,  but  made 
no  particular  effort  to  travel. 

"About  four  o'clock  we  set  out,  and  to  our 
surprise,  too,  a  number  of  horsemen  followed 
us  until  nearly  dark.  Passing  through  a  slight 
shelter,  in  which  we  were  out  of  sight  some 
little  time,  two  of  us  dropped  back  and  awaited 
our  pursuers.  As  they  came  up  within  hailing 
distance,  we  ordered  them  to  halt,  which  they 
declined  by  whirling  their  horses  and  burn 
ing  the  earth  getting  away.  We  threw  a  few 
rounds  of  lead  after  them,  but  they  cut  all 
desire  for  our  acquaintance  right  there. 

"We  reached  the  river  at  a  nearer  point 
than  the  one  at  which  we  had  entered,  and 
crossed  to  the  Texas  side  early  the  next  morn 
ing.  We  missed  a  good  ford  by  two  miles  and 
swam  the  river.  At  this  ford  was  stationed  a 
squad  of  regulars,  and  we  turned  our  prizes 
over  within  an  hour  after  crossing.  We  took 
a  receipt  for  the  men,  stock,  and  equipments, 


174  CATTLE  BRANDS 

and  when  we  turned  it  over  to  our  captain  a 
week  afterwards,  we  got  the  riot  act  read  to 
us  right.  I  noticed,  however,  the  first  time 
there  was  a  division  of  prize  money,  one  item 
was  for  the  capture  of  four  deserters." 

"  I  don't  reckon  that  captain  had  any  scru 
ples  about  taking  his  share  of  the  prize  money, 
did  he?"  inquired  Gotch. 

"No,  I  never  knew  anything  like  that  to 
happen  since  I  Ve  been  in  the  service." 

"There  used  to  be  a  captain  in  one  of  the 
upper  country  companies  that  held  religious 
services  in  his  company,  and  the  boys  claimed 
that  he  was  equally  good  on  a  prayer,  a  fight, 
or  holding  aces  in  a  poker  game,"  said  Gotch, 
as  he  filled  his  pipe. 

Amongst  Dad's  other  accomplishments  was 
his  unfailing  readiness  to  tell  of  his  experi 
ences  in  the  service.  So  after  he  had  looked 
over  the  camp  in  general,  he  joined  the  group 
of  lounging  smokers  and  told  us  of  an  Indian 
fight  in  which  he  had  participated. 

"  I  can't  imagine  how  this  comes  to  be  called 
Comanche  Ford,"  said  Dad.  "Now  the  Co- 
manches  crossed  over  into  the  Panhandle 
country  annually  for  the  purpose  of  killing 
buffalo.  For  diversion  and  pastime,  they  were 
always  willing  to  add  horse-stealing  and  the 
murdering  of  settlers  as  a  variation.  They 


AT   COMANCHE  FORD          175 

used  to  come  over  in  big  bands  to  hunt,  and 
when  ready  to  go  back  to  their  reservation 
in  the  Indian  Territory,  they  would  send  the 
squaws  on  ahead,  while  the  bucks  would  split 
into  small  bands  and  steal  all  the  good  horses 
in  sight. 

"  Our  old  company  was  ordered  out  on  the 
border  once,  when  the  Comanches  were  known 
to  be  south  of  Red  River  killing  buffalo.  This 
meant  that  on  their  return  it  would  be  advis 
able  to  look  out  for  your  horses  or  they  would 
be  missing.  In  order  to  cover  as  much  terri 
tory  as  possible,  the  company  was  cut  in  three 
detachments.  Our  squad  had  twenty  men  in 
it  under  a  lieutenant.  We  were  patrolling  a 
country  known  as  the  Tallow  Cache  Hills, 
glades  and  black-jack  cross  timbers  alternat 
ing.  All  kinds  of  rumors  of  Indian  depreda 
tions  were  reaching  us  almost  daily,  yet  so 
far  we  had  failed  to  locate  or  see  an  Indian. 

"One  day  at  noon  we  packed  up  and  were 
going  to  move  our  camp  farther  west,  when  a 
scout,  who  had  gone  on  ahead,  rushed  back 
with  the  news  that  he  had  sighted  a  band  of 
Indians  with  quite  a  herd  of  horses  pushing 
north.  We  led  our  pack  mules,  and  keeping 
the  shelter  of  the  timber  started  to  cut  them 
off  in  their  course.  When  we  first  sighted 
them,  they  were  just  crossing  a  glade,  and  the 


176  CATTLE   BRANDS 

last  buck  had  just  left  the  timber.  He  had  in 
his  mouth  an  arrow  shaft,  which  he  was  turn 
ing  between  his  teeth  to  remove  the  sap.  All 
had  guns.  The  first  warning  the  Indians  re 
ceived  of  our  presence  was  a  shot  made  by 
one  of  the  men  at  this  rear  Indian.  He  rolled 
off  his  horse  like  a  stone,  and  the  next  morn 
ing  when  we  came  back  over  their  trail,  he 
had  that  unfinished  arrow  in  a  death  grip  be 
tween  his  teeth.  That  first  shot  let  the  cat  out, 
and  we  went  after  them. 

"  We  had  two  big  piebald  calico  mules,  and 
when  we  charged  those  Indians,  those  pack 
mules  outran  every  saddle  horse  which  we 
had,  and  dashing  into  their  horse  herd,  scat 
tered  them  like  partridges.  Nearly  every  buck 
was  riding  a  stolen  horse,  and  for  some  cause 
they  could  n't  get  any  speed  out  of  them.  We 
just  rode  all  around  them.  There  proved  to 
be  twenty-two  Indians  in  the  band,  and  one  of 
them  was  a  squaw.  She  was  killed  by  acci 
dent. 

"  The  chase  had  covered  about  two  miles, 
when  the  horse  she  was  riding  fell  from  a  shot 
by  some  of  our  crowd.  The  squaw  recovered 
herself  and  came  to  her  feet  in  time  to  see 
several  carbines  in  the  act  of  being  leveled  at 
her  by  our  men.  She  instantly  threw  open  the 
slight  covering  about  her  shoulders  and  re- 


AT   COMANCHE   FORD  177 

vealed  her  sex.  Some  one  called  out  not  to 
shoot,  that  it  was  a  squaw,  and  the  carbines 
were  lowered.  As  this  squad  passed  on,  she 
turned  and  ran  for  the  protection  of  the  near 
est  timber,  and  a  second  squad  coming  up 
and  seeing  the  fleeing  Indian,  fired  on  her, 
killing  her  instantly.  She  had  done  the  very 
thing  she  should  not  have  done. 

"  It  was  a  running  fight  from  start  to  finish. 
We  got  the  last  one  in  the  band  about  seven 
miles  from  the  first  one.  The  last  one  to  fall 
was  mounted  on  a  fine  horse,  and  if  he  had 
only  ridden  intelligently,  he  ought  to  have  es 
caped.  The  funny  thing  about  it  was  he  was 
overtaken  by  the  dullest,  sleepiest  horse  in  our 
command.  The  shooting  and  smell  of  powder 
must  have  put  iron  into  him,  for  he  died  a 
hero.  When  this  last  Indian  saw  that  he  was 
going  to  be  overtaken,  his  own  horse  being 
recently  wounded,  he  hung  on  one  side  of  the 
animal  and  returned  the  fire.  At  a  range  of 
ten  yards  he  planted  a  bullet  squarely  in  the 
leader's  forehead,  his  own  horse  falling  at 
the  same  instant.  Those  two  horses  fell  dead 
so  near  that  you  could  have  tied  their  tails 
together.  Our  man  was  thrown  so  suddenly, 
that  he  came  to  his  feet  dazed,  his  eyes  filled 
with  dirt.  The  Indian  stood  not  twenty  steps 
away  and  fired  several  shots  at  him.  Our 


178  CATTLE  BRANDS 

man,  in  his  blindness,  stood  there  and  beat 
the  air  with  his  gun,  expecting  the  Indian  to 
rush  on  him  every  moment.  Had  the  buck 
used  his  gun  for  a  club,  it  might  have  been 
different,  but  as  long  as  he  kept  shooting,  his 
enemy  was  safe.  Half  a  dozen  of  us,  who 
were  near  enough  to  witness  his  final  fight, 
dashed  up,  and  the  Indian  fell  riddled  with 
bullets. 

"We  went  into  camp  after  the  fight  was 
over  with  two  wounded  men  and  half  a  dozen 
dead  or  disabled  horses.  Those  of  us  who 
had  mounts  in  good  fix  scoured  back  and 
gathered  in  our  packs  and  all  the  Indian  and 
stolen  horses  that  were  unwounded.  It  looked 
like  a  butchery,  but  our  minds  were  greatly 
relieved  on  that  point  the  next  day,  when  we 
found  among  their  effects  over  a  dozen  fresh, 
bloody  scalps,  mostly  women  and  children. 
There 's  times  and  circumstances  in  this  ser 
vice  that  make  the  toughest  of  us  gloomy." 

"  How  long  ago  was  that  ? "  inquired 
Orchard. 

"  Quite  a  while  ago,"  replied  Dad.  "  I  ought 
to  be  able  to  tell  exactly.  I  was  a  youngster 
then.  Well,  I'll  tell  you;  it  was  during  the 
reconstruction  days,  when  Davis  was  gov 
ernor.  Figure  it  out  yourself." 

"  Speaking  of  the  disagreeable  side  of  this 


AT  COMANCHE  FORD          179 

service,"  said  Happy  Jack,  "  reminds  me  of 
an  incident  that  took  all  the  nerve  out  of  every 
one  connected  with  it.  When  I  first  went  into 
the  service,  there  was  a  well-known  horse- 
thief  and  smuggler  down  on  the  river,  known 
as  El  Lobo.  He  operated  on  both  sides  of  the 
Rio  Grande,  but  generally  stole  his  horses  from 
tthe  Texas  side.  He  was  a  night  owl.  It  was 
nothing  for  him  to  be  seen  at  some  ranch  in 
the  evening,  and  the  next  morning  be  met 
seventy-five  or  eighty  miles  distant.  He  was 
a  good  judge  of  horse-flesh,  and  never  stole 
any  but  the  best.  His  market  was  well  in  the 
interior  of  Mexico,  and  he  supplied  it  liberally. 
He  was  a  typical  dandy,  and  like  a  sailor  had 
a  wi£e  in  every  port.  That  was  his  weak  point, 
and  there  's  where  we  attacked  him. 

"  He  had  made  all  kinds  of  fun  of  this  ser 
vice,  and  we  concluded  to  have  him  at  any 
cost.  Accordingly  we  located  his  women  and 
worked  on  them.  Mexican  beauty  is  always 
over-rated,  but  one  of  his  conquests  in  that  line 
came  as  near  being  the  ideal  for  a  rustic  beauty 
as  that  nationality  produces.  This  girl  was 
about  twenty,  and  lived  with  a  questionable 
mother  at  a  ranchito  back  from  the  river  about 
thirty  miles.  In  form  and  feature  there  was 
nothing  lacking,  while  the  smouldering  fire  of 
her  black  eyes  would  win  saint  or  thief  alike. 


180  CATTLE  BRANDS 

Born  in  poverty  and  ignorance,  she  was  a  child 
of  circumstance,  and  fell  an  easy  victim  to  El 
Lobo,  who  lavished  every  attention  upon  her. 
There  was  no  present  too  costly  for  him,  and 
on  his  periodical  visits  he  dazzled  her  with 
gifts.  But  infatuations  of  that  class  generally 
have  an  end,  often  a  sad  one. 

"  We  had  a  half-blood  in  our  company,  who 
was  used  as  a  rival  to  El  Lobo  in  gathering 
any  information  that  might  be  afloat,  and  at 
the  same  time,  when  opportunity  offered,  in 
sowing  the  wormwood  of  jealousy.  This  was 
easy,  for  we  collected  every  item  in  the  form 
of  presents  he  ever  made  her  rival  seftoritas. 
When  these  forces  were  working,  our  half- 
blood  pushed  his  claims  for  recognition.  Our 
wages  and  prize  money  were  at  his  disposal, 
and  in  time  they  won.  The  neglect  shown 
her  by  El  Lobo  finally  turned  her  against 
him,  apparently,  and  she  agreed  to  betray  his 
whereabouts  the  first  opportunity  —  on  one 
condition.  And  that  was,  that  if  we  succeeded 
in  capturing  him,  we  were  to  bring  him  before 
her,  that  she  might,  in  his  helplessness,  taunt 
him  for  his  perfidy  towards  her.  We  were 
willing  to  make  any  concession  to  get  him,  so 
this  request  was  readily  granted. 

"The  deserted  condition  of  the  ranchito 
where  the  girl  lived  was  to  our  advantage  as 


AT  COMANCHE  FORD          181 

well  as  his.  The  few  families  that  dwelt  there 
had  their  flocks  to  look  after,  and  the  coming 
or  going  of  a  passer-by  was  scarcely  noticed. 
Our  man  on  his  visits  carefully  concealed  the 
fact  that  he  was  connected  with  this  service, 
for  El  Lobo's  lavish  use  of  money  made  him 
friends  wherever  he  went,  and  afforded  him 
all  the  seclusion  he  needed. 

"  It  was  over  a  month  before  the  wolf  made 
his  appearance,  and  we  were  informed  of  the 
fact.  He  stayed  at  an  outside  pastor's  camp, 
visiting  the  ranch  only  after  dark.  A  corral 
was  mentioned,  where  within  a  few  days'  time, 
at  the  farthest,  he  would  pen  a  bunch  of  sad 
dle  horses.  There  had  once  been  wells  at  this 
branding  pen,  but  on  their  failing  to  furnish 
water  continuously  they  had  been  abandoned. 
El  Lobo  had  friends  at  his  command  to  assist 
him  in  securing  the  best  horses  in  the  country. 
So  accordingly  we  planned  to  pay  our  respects 
to  him  at  these  deserted  wells. 

"  The  second  night  of  our  watch,  we  were 
rewarded  by  having  three  men  drive  into 
these  corrals  about  twenty  saddle  horses.  They 
had  barely  time  to  tie  their  mounts  outside 
and  enter  the  pen,  when  four  of  us  slipped 
in  behind  them  and  changed  the  programme 
a  trifle.  El  Lobo  was  one  of  the  men.  He 
was  very  polite  and  nice,  but  that  did  n't 


182  CATTLE  BRANDS 

prevent  us  from  ironing  him  securely,  as  we 
did  his  companions  also. 

"  It  was  almost  midnight  when  we  reached 
the  ranchito  where  the  girl  lived.  We  asked 
him  if  he  had  any  friends  at  this  ranch  whom 
he  wished  to  see.  This  he  denied.  When  we 
informed  him  that  by  special  request  a  lady 
wished  to  bid  him  farewell,  he  lost  some  of 
his  bluster  and  bravado.  We  all  dismounted, 
leaving  one  man  outside  with  the  other  two 
prisoners,  and  entered  a  small  yard  where  the 
girl  lived.  Our  half-blood  aroused  her  and 
called  her  out  to  meet  her  friend,  El  Lobo. 
The  girl  delayed  us  some  minutes,  and  we 
apologized  to  him  for  the  necessity  of  irons 
and  our  presence  in  meeting  his  Dulce  Cora- 
zon.  When  the  girl  came  out  we  were  some 
distance  from  the  jacal.  There  was  just  moon 
light  enough  to  make  her  look  beautiful. 

"As  she  advanced,  she  called  him  by  some 
pet  name  in  their  language,  when  he  answered 
her  gruffly,  accusing  her  of  treachery,  and 
turned  his  back  upon  her.  She  approached 
within  a  few  feet,  when  it  was  noticeable  that 
she  was  racked  with  emotion,  and  asked  him 
if  he  had  no  kind  word  for  her.  Turning  on 
her,  he  repeated  the  accusation  of  treachery, 
and  applied  a  vile  expression  to  her.  That 
moment  the  girl  flashed  into  a  fiend,  and 


AT  COMANCHE  FORD          183 

throwing  a  shawl  from  her  shoulders,  revealed 
a  pistol,  firing  it  twice  before  a  man  could 
stop  her.  El  Lobo  sank  in  his  tracks,  and  she 
begged  us  to  let  her  trample  his  lifeless  body. 
Later,  when  composed,  she  told  us  that  we 
had  not  used  her  any  more  than  she  had  used 
us,  in  bringing  him  helpless  to  her.  As  things 
turned  out  it  looked  that  way. 

"  We  lashed  the  dead  thief  on  his  horse 
and  rode  until  daybreak,  when  we  buried  him. 
We  could  have  gotten  a  big  reward  for  him 
dead  or  alive,  and  we  had  the  evidence  of 
his  death,  but  the  manner  in  which  we  got  it 
made  it  undesirable.  El  Lobo  was  missed, 
but  the  manner  of  his  going  was  a  secret  of 
four  men  and  a  Mexican  girl.  The  other  two 
prisoners  went  over  the  road,  and  we  even 
reported  to  them  that  he  had  attempted  to 
strangle  her,  and  we  shot  him  to  save  her. 
Something  had  to  be  said." 

The  smoking  and  yarning  had  ended.  Dark 
ness  had  settled  over  the  camp  but  a  short 
while,  when  every  one  was  sound  asleep.  It 
must  have  been  near  midnight  when  a  num 
ber  of  us  were  aroused  by  the  same  disturb 
ance.  The  boys  sat  bolt  upright  and  listened 
eagerly.  We  were  used  to  being  awakened 
by  shots,  and  the  cause  of  our  sudden  awaken 
ing  was  believed  to  be  the  same,  —  a  shot. 


184  CATTLE  BRANDS 

While  the  exchange  of  opinion  was  going  the 
round,  all  anxiety  on  that  point  was  dispelled 
by  a  second  shot,  the  flash  of  which  could  be 
distinctly  seen  across  the  river  below  the  ford. 

As  Dad  stood  up  and  answered  it  with  a 
shrill  whistle,  every  man  reached  for  his  car 
bine  and  flattened  himself  out  on  the  ground. 
The  whistle  was  answered,  and  shortly  the 
splash  of  quite  a  cavalcade  could  be  heard 
fording  the  river.  Several  times  they  halted, 
our  fire  having  died  out,  and  whistles  were 
exchanged  between  them  and  Root.  When 
they  came  within  fifty  yards  of  camp  and 
their  outlines  could  be  distinguished  against 
the  sky  line  in  the  darkness,  they  were  or 
dered  to  halt,  and  a  dozen  carbines  clicked 
an  accompaniment  to  the  order. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  demanded  Root. 

"A  detachment  from  Company  M,  Texas 
Rangers,"  was  the  reply. 

"  If  you  are  Rangers,  give  us  a  maxim  of 
the  service,"  said  Dad. 

"  Don't  'wait  for  the  other  man  to  shoot 
first"  came  the  response. 

"  Ride  in,  that  passes  here,"  was  Dad's 
greeting  and  welcome. 

They  were  a  detachment  of  fifteen  men, 
and  had  ridden  from  the  Pecos  on  the  south, 
nearly  the  same  distance  which  we  had  come. 


AT  COMANCHE  FORD          185 

They  had  similar  orders  to  ours,  but  were 
advised  that  they  would  meet  our  detachment 
at  this  ford.  In  less  than  an  hour  every  man 
was  asleep  again,  and  quiet  reigned  in  the 
Ranger  camp  at  Comanche  Ford  on  the 
Concho. 


IX 

AROUND   THE  SPADE  WAGON 

IT  was  an  early  spring.   The  round-up  was 
set  for  the  loth  of  June.    The  grass  was 
well  forward,  while  the  cattle  had  changed 
their  shaggy  winter  coats  to  glossy  suits  of 
summer  silk.    The  brands  were  as  readable 
as  an  alphabet. 

It  was  one  day  yet  before  the  round-up  of 
the  Cherokee  Strip.  This  strip  of  leased  In 
dian  lands  was  to  be  worked  in  three  divisions. 
We  were  on  our  way  to  represent  the  Cold- 
water  Pool  in  the  western  division,  on  the  an 
nual  round-up.  Our  outfit  was  four  men  and 
thirty  horses.  We  were  to  represent  a  range 
that  had  twelve  thousand  cattle  on  it,  a  total 
of  forty-seven  brands.  We  had  been  in  the 
saddle  since  early  morning,  and  as  we  came 
out  on  a  narrow  divide,  we  caught  our  first 
glimpse  of  the  Cottonwoods  at  Antelope 
Springs,  the  rendezvous  for  this  division.  The 
setting  sun  was  scarcely  half  an  hour  high, 
and  the  camp  was  yet  five  miles  distant.  We 
had  covered  sixty  miles  that  day,  traveling 
light,  our  bedding  lashed  on  gentle  saddle 


AROUND   THE  SPADE   WAGON     187 

horses.  We  rode  up  the  mesa  quite  a  little 
distance  to  avoid  some  rough  broken  country, 
then  turned  southward  toward  the  Springs. 
Before  turning  off,  we  could  see  with  the 
naked  eye  signs  of  life  at  the  meeting-point. 
The  wagon  sheets  of  half  a  dozen  chuck- 
wagons  shone  white  in  the  dim  distance,  while 
small  bands  of  saddle  horses  could  be  distinctly 
seen  grazing  about. 

When  we  halted  at  noon  that  day  to  change 
our  mounts,  we  sighted  to  the  northward  some 
seven  miles  distant  an  outfit  similar  to  our  own. 
We  were  on  the  lookout  for  this  cavalcade; 
they  were  supposed  to  be  the  "  Spade  "  outfit, 
on  their  way  to  attend  the  round-up  in  the 
middle  division,  where  our  pasture  lay.  This 
year,  as  in  years  past,  we  had  exchanged  the 
courtesies  of  the  range  with  them.  Their  men 
on  our  division  were  made  welcome  at  our 
wagon,  and  we  on  theirs  were  extended  the 
same  courtesy.  For  this  reason  we  had  hoped 
to  meet  them  and  exchange  the  chronicle  of 
the  day,  concerning  the  condition  of  cattle  on 
their  range,  the  winter  drift,  and  who  would 
be  captain  this  year  on  the  western  division, 
but  had  traveled  the  entire  day  without  meet 
ing  a  man. 

Night  had  almost  set  in  when  we  reached 
the  camp,  and  to  our  satisfaction  and  delight 


188  CATTLE  BRANDS 

found  the  Spade  wagon  already  there,  though 
their  men  and  horses  would  not  arrive  until 
the  next  day.  To  hungry  men  like  ourselves, 
the  welcome  of  their  cook  was  hospitality  in 
the  fullest  sense  of  the  word.  We  stretched 
ropes  from  the  wagon  wheels,  and  in  a  few 
moments'  time  were  busy  hobbling  our 
mounts.  Darkness  had  settled  over  the  camp 
as  we  were  at  this  work,  while  an  occasional 
horseman  rode  by  with  the  common  inquiry, 
"Whose  outfit  is  this  ?  "  and  the  cook,  with  one 
end  of  the  rope  in  his  hand,  would  feel  the 
host  in  him  sufficiently  to  reply  in  tones  super 
cilious,  "  The  Coldwater  Pool  men  are  with 
us  this  year." 

Our  arrival  was  heralded  through  the  camp 
with  the  same  rapidity  with  which  gossip 
circulates,  equally  in  a  tenement  alley  or  the 
upper  crust  of  society.  The  cook  had  informed 
us  that  we  had  been  inquired  for  by  some 
Panhandle  man;  so  before  we  had  finished 
hobbling,  a  stranger  sang  out  across  the  ropes 
in  the  darkness,  "Is  Billy  Edwards  here?" 
Receiving  an  affirmative  answer  from  among 
the  horses'  feet,  he  added,  "Come  out,  then, 
and  shake  hands  with  a  friend." 

Edwards  arose  from  his  work,  and  looking 
across  the  backs  of  the  circle  of  horses  about 
him,  at  the  undistinguishable  figure  at  the  rope, 


AROUND  THE   SPADE   WAGON     189 

replied,  "Whoever  you  are,  I  reckon  the 
acquaintance  will  hold  good  until  I  get  these 
horses  hobbled." 

"Who  is  it?  "  inquired  "Mouse"  from  over 
near  the  hind  wheel  of  the  wagon,  where  he 
was  applying  the  hemp  to  the  horses'  ankles. 

"I  don't  know,"  said  Billy,  as  he  knelt 
among  the  horses  and  resumed  his  work, — 
"  some  geranium  out  there  wants  me  to  come 
out  and  shake  hands,  pow-wow,  and  make 
some  medicine  with  him;  that's  all.  Say, 
we  '11  leave  Chino  for  picket,  and  that  Chihua 
hua  cutting  horse  of  Coon's,  you  have  to  put 
a  rope  on  when  you  come  to  him.  He 's  too 
touchy  to  sabe  hobbles  if  you  don't." 

When  we  had  finished  hobbling,  and  the 
horses  were  turned  loose,  the  stranger  proved 
to  be  "Babe"  Bradshaw,  an  old  chum  of  Ed- 
wards's.  The  Spade  cook  added  an  earthly 
laurel  to  his  temporal  crown  with  the  supper 
to  which  he  shortly  invited  us.  Bradshaw  had 
eaten  with  the  general  wagon,  but  he  sat 
around  while  we  ate.  There  was  little  con 
versation  during  the  supper,  for  our  appetites 
were  such  and  the  spread  so  inviting  that  it 
simply  absorbed  us. 

"  Don't  bother  me,"  said  Edwards  to  his  old 
chum,  in  reply  to  some  inquiry.  "  Can't  you 
see  that  I'm  occupied  at  present?" 


CATTLE   BRANDS 

We  did  justice  to  the  supper,  having  had  no 
dinner  that  day.  The  cook  even  urged,  with 
an  earnestness  worthy  of  a"  motherly  landlady, 
several  dishes,  but  his  browned  potatoes  and 
roast  beef  claimed  our  attention.  "  Well,  what 
are  you  doing  in  this  country  anyhow?"  in 
quired  Edwards  of  Bradshaw,  when  the  inner 
man  had  been  thoroughly  satisfied. 

"Well,  sir,  I  have  a  document  in  my  pocket, 
with  sealing  wax  but  no  ribbons  on  it,  which 
says  that  I  am  the  duly  authorized  representa 
tive  of  the  Panhandle  Cattle  Association.  I 
also  have  a  book  in  my  pocket  showing  every 
brand  and  the  names  of  its  owners,  and  there  is 
a  whole  raft  of  them.  I  may  go  to  St.  Louis 
to  act  as  inspector  for  my  people  when  the 
round-up  ends." 

"You're  just  as  windy  as  ever,  Babe,"  said 
Billy.  "  Strange  I  did  n't  recognize  you  when 
you  first  spoke.  You  're  getting  natural  now, 
though.  I  suppose  you  're  borrowing  horses, 
like  all  these  special  inspectors  do.  It's  all 
right  with  me,  but  good  men  must  be  scarce 
in  your  section  or  you've  improved  rapidly 
since  you  left  us.  By  the  way,  there  is  a  man 
or  four  lying  around  here  that  also  represents 
about  forty-seven  brands.  Possibly  you  'd  bet 
ter  not  cut  any  of  their  cattle  or  you  might 
get  them  cut  back  on  you." 


AROUND   THE   SPADE   WAGON  <•  191 

"  Do  you  remember,"  said  Babe,  "  when  I 
dissolved  with  the  'Ohio '  outfit  and  bought  in 
with  the  <LX'  people?" 

"When  you  what?"  repeated  Edwards. 

"Well,  then,  when  I  was  discharged  by  the 
6 Ohio's'  and  got  a  job  ploughing  fire-guards 
with  the  '  LX's.'  Is  that  plain  enough  for  your 
conception?  I  learned  a  lesson  then  that  has 
served  me  since  to  good  advantage.  Don't  hesi 
tate  to  ask  for  the  best  job  on  the  works,  for  if 
you  don't  you  '11  see  some  one  get  it  that  is  n't 
as  well  qualified  to  fill  it  as  you  are.  So  if  you 
happen  to  be  in  St.  Louis,  call  around  and 
see  me  at  the  Panhandle  headquarters.  Don't 
send  in  any  card  by  a  nigger;  walk  right  in. 
I  might  give  you  some  other  pointers,  but  you 
could  n't  appreciate  them.  You  '11  more  than 
likely  be  driving  a  chuck-wagon  in  a  few 
years." 

These  old  cronies  from  boyhood  sparred 
along  in  give-and-take  repartee  for  some  time, 
finally  drifting  back  to  boyhood  days,  while 
the  harshness  that  pervaded  their  conversation 
before  became  mild  and  genial. 

"  Have  you  ever  been  back  in  old  San  Saba 
since  we  left?  "  inquired  Edwards  after  a  long 
meditative  silence. 

"Oh,  yes,  I  spent  a  winter  back  there  two 
years  ago,  though  it  was  hard  lines  to  enjoy 


192*  CATTLE  BRANDS 

yourself.  I  managed  to  romance  about  for 
two  or  three  months,  sowing  turnip  seed  and 
teaching  dancing-school.  The  girls  that  you 
and  I  knew  are  nearly  all  married." 

"What  ever  became  of  the  O'Shea  girls?  " 
asked  Edwards.  "  You  know  that  I  was  high 
card  once  with  the  eldest." 

"  You  'd  better  comfort  yourself  with  the 
thought,"  answered  Babe,  "  for  you  could  n't 
play  third  fiddle  in  her  string  now.  You  re 
member  old  Dennis  O'Shea  was  land-poor  all 
his  life.  Well,  in  the  land  and  cattlerboom  a 
few  years  ago  he  was  picked  up  and  set  on  a 
pedestal.  It 's  wonderful  what  money  can  do! 
The  old  man  was  just  common  bog  Irish  all 
his  life,  until  a  cattle  syndicate  bought  his  lands 
and  cattle  for  twice  what  they  were  worth. 
Then  he  blossomed  into  a  capitalist.  He  al 
ways  was  a  trifle  hide-bound.  Get  all  you 
can  and  can  all  you  get,  took  precedence  and 
became  the  first  law  with  your  papa-in-law. 
The  old  man  used  to  say  that  the  prettiest 
sight  he  ever  saw  was  the  smoke  arising  from 
a '  Snake '  branding-iron.  They  moved  to  town, 
and  have  been  to  Europe  since  they  left  the 
ranch.  Jed  Lynch,  you  know,  was  smitten  on 
the  youngest  girl.  Well,  he  had  the  nerve  to 
call  on  them  after  their  return  from  Europe. 
He  says  that  they  live  in  a  big  house,  their 


AROUND   THE   SPADE   WAGON     193 

name  's  on  the  door,  and  you  have  to  ring  a 
bell,  and  then  a  nigger  meets  you.  It  must 
make  a  man  feel  awkward  to  live  around  a 
wagon  all  his  days,  and  then  suddenly  change 
to  style  and  put  on  a  heap  of  dog.  Jed  says 
the  red-headed  girl,  the  middle  one,  married 
some  fellow,  and  they  live  with  the  old  folks. 
He  says  the  other  girls  treated  him  nicely,  but 
the  old  lady,  she  has  got  it  bad.  He  says  that 
she  just  languishes  on  a  sofa,  cuts  into  the 
conversation  now  and  then,  and  simply  swells 
up.  She  don't  let  the  old  man  come  into  the 
parlor  at  all.  Jed  says  that  when  the  girls  were 
describing  their  trip  through  Europe,  one  of 
them  happened  to  mention  Rome,  when  the 
old  lady  interrupted :  *  Rome  ?  Rome  ?  Let  me 
see,  I'Ve  forgotten,  girls.  Where  is  Rome?' 

"  *  Don't  you  remember  when  we  were  in 
Italy,'  said  one  of  the  girls,  trying  to  refresh 
her  memory. 

"  'Oh,  yes,  now  I  remember;  that 's  where  I 
bought  you  girls  such  nice  long  red  stockings.' 

"The  girls  suddenly  remembered  some  duty 
about  the  house  that  required  their  immediate 
attention,  and  Jed  says  that  he  looked  out  of 
the  window." 

"  So  you  think  I  've  lost  my  number,  do 
you  ?  "  commented  Edwards,  as  he  lay  on  his 
back  and  fondly  patted  a  comfortable  stomach. 


194  CATTLE  BRANDS 

"  Well,  possibly  I  have,  but  it 's  some  conso 
lation  to  remember  that  that  very  good  woman 
that  you  're  slandering  used  to  give  me  the  glad 
hand  and  cut  the  pie  large  when  I  called.  I 
may  be  out  of  the  game,  but  I  'd  take  a  chance 
yet  if  I  were  present;  that 's  what!  " 

They  were  singing  over  at  one  of  the 
wagons  across  the  draw,  and  after  the  song 
ended,  Bradshaw  asked,  "  What  ever  became 
of  Raneka  Bill  Hunter?  " 

"  Oh,  he  's  drifting  about,"  said  Edwards. 
"  Mouse  here  can  tell  you  about  him.  They  're 
old  college  chums." 

"  Raneka  was  working  for  the  '  -B  QJ  peo 
ple  last  summer,"  said  Mouse,  "  but  was  dis 
charged  for  hanging  a  horse,  or  rather  he  dis 
charged  himself.  It  seems  that  some  one  took 
a  fancy  to  a  horse  in  his  mount.  The  last  man 
to  buy  into  an  outfit  that  way  always  gets  all 
the  bad  horses  for  his  string.  As  Raneka  was 
a  new  man  there,  the  result  was  that  some  ex 
cuse  was  given  him  to  change,  and  they  rung 
in  a  spoilt  horse  on  him  in  changing.  Being 
new  that  way,  he  was  n't  on  to  the  horses. 
The  first  time  he  tried  to  saddle  this  new  horse 
he  showed  up  bad.  The  horse  trotted  up  to 
him  when  the  rope  fell  on  his  neck,  reared  up 
nicely  and  playfully,  and  threw  out  his  fore 
feet,  stripping  the  three  upper  buttons  off 


AROUND  THE  SPADE  WAGON     195 

Bill's  vest  pattern.  Bill  never  said  a  word 
about  his  intentions,  but  tied  him  to  the  corral 
fence  and  saddled  up  his  own  private  horse. 
There  were  several  men  around  camp,  but  they 
said  nothing,  being  a  party  to  the  deal,  though 
they  noticed  Bill  riding  away  with  the  spoilt 
horse.  He  took  him  down  on  the  creek  about 
a  mile  from  camp  and  hung  him. 

"  How  did  he  do  it?  Why,  there  was  a  big 
cottonwood  grew  on  a  bluff  bank  of  the  creek. 
One  limb  hung  out  over  the  bluff,  over  the 
bed  of  the  creek.  He  left  the  running  noose 
on  the  horse's  neck,  climbed  out  on  this  over 
hanging  limb,  taking  the  rope  through  a  fork 
directly  over  the  water.  He  then  climbed 
down  and  snubbed  the  free  end  of  the  rope 
to  a  small  tree,  and  began  taking  in  his  slack. 
When  the  rope  began  to  choke  the  horse,  he 
reared  and  plunged,  throwing  himself  over  the 
bluff.  That  settled  his  ever  hurting  any  one. 
He  was  hung  higher  than  Haman.  Bill  never 
went  back  to  the  camp,  but  struck  out  for 
other  quarters.  There  was  a  month's  wages 
coming  to  him,  but  he  would  get  that  later  or 
they  might  keep  it.  Life  had  charms  for  an 
old-timer  like  Bill,  and  he  did  n't  hanker  for 
any  reputation  as  a  broncho-buster.  It  gener 
ally  takes  a  verdant  to  pine  for  such  honors. 

"  Last  winter   when    Bill  was   riding   the 


196  CATTLE  BRANDS 

chuck  line,  he  ran  up  against  a  new  experi 
ence.  It  seems  that  some  newcomer  bought 
a  range  over  on  Black  Bear.  This  new  man 
sought  to  set  at  defiance  the  customs  of  the 
range.  It  was  currently  reported  that  he  had 
refused  to  invite  people  to  stay  for  dinner,  and 
preferred  that  no  one  would  ask  for  a  night's 
lodging,  even  in  winter.  This  was  the  gossip 
of  the  camps  for  miles  around,  so  Bill  and 
some  juniper  of  a  pardner  thought  they  would 
make  a  call  on  him  and  see  how  it  was.  They 
made  it  a  point  to  reach  his  camp  shortly  after 
noon.  They  met  the  owner  just  coming  out 
of  the  dug-out  as  they  rode  up.  They  ex 
changed  the  compliments  of  the  hour,  when 
the  new  man  turned  and  locked  the  door 
of  the  dug-out  with  a  padlock.  Bill  sparred 
around  the  main  question,  but  finally  asked  if 
it  was  too  late  to  get  dinner,  and  was  very 
politely  informed  that  dinner  was  over.  This 
latter  information  was,  however,  qualified  with 
a  profusion  of  regrets.  After  a  confession  of  a 
hard  ride  made  that  morning  from  a  camp 
many  miles  distant,  Bill  asked  the  chance  to 
remain  over  night.  Again  the  travelers  were 
met  with  serious  regrets,  as  no  one  would  be 
at  camp  that  night,  business  calling  the  owner 
away;  he  was  just  starting  then.  The  cow 
man  led  out  his  horse,  and  after  mounting  and 


AROUND  THE  SPADE  WAGON     197 

expressing  for  the  last  time  his  sincere  regrets 
that  he  could  not  extend  to  them  the  hospitali 
ties  of  his  camp,  rode  away. 

"  Bill  and  his  pardner  moseyed  in  an  oppo-1 
site  direction  a  short  distance  and  held  a  par 
ley.  Bill  was  so  nonplussed  at  the  reception 
that  it  took  him  some  little  time  to  collect  his 
thoughts.  When  it  thoroughly  dawned  on  him 
that  the  courtesies  of  the  range  had  been  tram 
pled  under  foot  by  a  rank  newcomer  and  him 
self  snubbed,  he  was  aroused  to  action. 

"' Let's  go  back,'  said  Bill  to  his  pardner, 
'and  at  least  leave  our  card.  He  might  not 
like  it  if  we  did  n't.' 

"They  went  back  and  dismounted  about  ten 
steps  from  the  door.  They  shot  every  car 
tridge  they  both  had,  over  a  hundred  between 
them,  through  the  door,  fastened  a  card  with 
their  correct  names  on  it,  and  rode  away. 
One  of  the  boys  that  was  working  there,  but 
was  absent  at  the  time,  says  there  was  a  num 
ber  of  canned  tomato  and  corn  crates  ranked 
up  at  the  rear  of  the  dug-out,  in  range  with 
the  door.  This  lad  says  that  it  looked  as  if 
they  had  a  special  grievance  against  those 
canned  goods,  for  they  were  riddled  with 
lead.  That  fellow  lost  enough  by  that  act  to 
have  fed  all  the  chuck-line  men  that  would 
bother  him  in  a  year. 


ig8  CATTLE  BRANDS 

"  Raneka  made  it  a  rule,"  continued  Mouse, 
"  to  go  down  and  visit  the  Cheyennes  every 
winter,  sometimes  staying  a  month.  He  could 
make  a  good  stagger  at  speaking  their  tongue, 
so  that  together  with  his  knowledge  of  the 
Spanish  and  the  sign  language  he  could  con 
verse  with  them  readily.  He  was  perfectly 
at  home  with  them,  and  they  all  liked  him. 
When  he  used  to  let  his  hair  grow  long,  he 
looked  like  an  Indian.  Once,  when  he  was 
wrangling  horses  for  us  during  the  beef-ship 
ping  season,  we  passed  him  off  for  an  Indian 
on  some  dining-room  girls.  George  Wall  was 
working  with  us  that  year,  and  had  gone  in 
ahead  to  see  about  the  cars  and  find  out  when 
we  could  pen  and  the  like.  We  had  to  drive 
to  the  State  line,  then,  to  ship.  George  took 
dinner  at  the  best  hotel  in  the  town,  and  asked 
one  of  the  dining-room  girls  if  he  might  bring 
in  an  Indian  to  supper  the  next  evening.  They 
did  n't  know,  so  they  referred  him  to  the  land 
lord.  George  explained  to  that  auger,  who,  not 
wishing  to  offend  us,  consented.  There  were 
about  ten  girls  in  the  dining-room,  and  they 
were  on  the  lookout  for  the  Indian.  The  next 
night  we  penned  a  little  before  dark.  Not  a 
man  would  eat  at  the  wagon ;  every  one  rode 
for  the  hotel.  We  fixed  Bill  up  in  fine  shape, 
put  feathers  in  his  hair,  streaked  his  face  with 


AROUND  THE   SPADE   WAGON     199 

red  and  yellow,  and  had  him  all  togged  out  in 
buckskin,  even  to  moccasins.  As  we  entered 
the  dining-room,  George  led  him  by  the  hand, 
assuring  all  the  girls  that  he  was  perfectly 
harmless.  One  long  table  accommodated  us 
all.  George,  who  sat  at  the  head  with  our 
Indian  on  his  right,  begged  the  girls  not  to 
act  as  though  they  were  afraid  ;  he  might 
notice  it.  Wall  fed  him  pickles  and  lump  sugar 
until  the  supper  was  brought  on.  Then  he 
pushed  back  his  chair  about  four  feet,  and 
stared  at  the  girls  like  an  idiot.  When  George 
ordered  him  to  eat,  he  stood  up  at  the  table. 
When  he  would  n't  let  him  stand,  he  took  the 
plate  on  his  knee,  and  ate  one  side  dish  at  a 
time.  Finally,  when  he  had  eaten  everything 
that  suited  his  taste,  he  stood  up  and  signed 
with  his  hands  to  the  group  of  girls,  muttering, 
*Wo-haw,  wo-haw.' 

"  '  He  wants  some  more  beef,'  said  Wall. 
6  Bring  him  some  more  beef.'  After  a  while 
he  stood  up  and  signed  again,  George  inter 
preting  his  wants  to  the  dining-room  girls: 
*  Bring  him  some  coffee.  He 's  awful  fond 
of  coffee.' 

"That  supper  lasted  an  hour,  and  he  ate 
enough  to  kill  a  horse.  As  we  left  the  dining- 
room,  he  tried  to  carry  away  a  sugar-bowl, 
but  Wall  took  it  away  from  him.  As  we 


200  CATTLE  BRANDS 

passed  out  George  turned  back  and  apologized 
to  the  girls,  saying,  '  He 's  a  good  Injun.  I 
promised  him  he  might  eat  with  us.  He  '11  talk 
about  this  for  months  now.  When  he  goes 
back  to  his  tribe  he  '11  tell  his  squaws  all  about 
you  girls  feeding  him.' ': 

"  Seems  like  I  remember  that  fellow  Wall," 
said  Bradshaw,  meditating. 

"  Why,  of  course  you  do.  Were  n't  you 
with  us  when  we  voted  the  bonds  to  the  rail 
road  company?"  asked  Edwards. 

"No,  never  heard  of  it;  must  have  been 
after  I  left.  What  business  did  you  have  voting 
bonds  ?  " 

"Tell  him,  Coon.  I  'm  too  full  for  utterance," 
said  Edwards. 

"  If  you  'd  been  in  this  country  you  'd  heard 
of  it,"  said  Coon  Floyd.  "For  a  few  years 
everything  was  dated  from  that  event.  It  was 
like  '  when  the  stars  fell,'  and  the  *  surrender ' 
with  the  old-time  darkies  at  home.  It  seems 
that  some  new  line  of  railroad  wanted  to  build 
in,  and  wanted  bonds  voted  to  them  as  bonus. 
Some  foxy  agent  for  this  new  line  got  among 
the  long-horns,  who  own  the  cattle  on  this 
Strip,  and  showed  them  that  it  was  to  their 
interests  to  get  a  competing  line  in  the  cattle 
traffic.  The  result  was,  these  old  long-horns 
got  owly,  laid  their  heads  together,  and  made 


AROUND  THE  SPADE  WAGON     201 

a  little  medicine.  Every  mother's  son  of  us  in 
the  Strip  was  entitled  to  claim  a  home  some 
where,  so  they  put  it  up  that  we  should  come 
in  and  vote  for  the  bonds.  It  was  believed  it 
would  be  a  close  race  if  they  carried,  for  it 
was  by  counties  that  the  bonds  were  voted. 
Towns  that  the  road  would  run  through 
would  vote  unanimously  for  them,  but  outly 
ing  towns  would  vote  solidly  against  the  bonds. 
There  was  a  big  lot  of  money  used,  wherever 
it  came  from,  for  we  were  royally  entertained. 
Two  or  three  days  before  the  date  set  for  the 
election,  they  began  to  head  for  this  cow-town, 
every  man  on  his  top  horse.  Everything  was 
as  free  as  air,  and  we  all  understood  that  a 
new  railroad  was  a  good  thing  for  the  cattle 
interests.  We  gave  it  not  only  our  votes,  but 
moral  support  likewise. 

"  It  was  a  great  gathering.  The  hotels  fed 
us,  and  the  liveries  cared  for  our  horses.  The 
liquid  refreshments  were  provided  by  the  pro 
hibition  druggists  of  the  town  and  were  as 
free  as  the  sunlight.  There  was  an  under 
estimate  made  on  the  amount  of  liquids  re 
quired,  for  the  town  was  dry  about  thirty 
minutes;  but  a  regular  train  was  run  through 
from  Wichita  ahead  of  time,  and  the  embar 
rassment  overcome.  There  was  an  opposition 
line  of  railroad  working  against  the  bonds,  but 


202  CATTLE  BRANDS 

they  did  n't  have  any  better  sense  than  to  send 
a  man  down  to  our  town  to  counteract  our 
exertions.  Public  sentiment  was  a  delicate 
matter  with  us,  and  while  this  man  had  no 
influence  with  any  of  us,  we  did  n't  feel  the 
same  toward  him  as  we  might.  He  was  dis 
tributing  his  tickets  around,  and  putting  up 
a  good  argument,  possibly,  from  his  point  of 
view,  when  some  of  these  old  long-horns 
hinted  to  the  boys  to  show  the  fellow  that  he 
was  n't  wanted.  '  Don't  hurt  him,'  said  one 
old  cow-man  to  this  same  Wall,  'but  give 
him  a  scare,  so  he  will  know  that  we  don't 
indorse  him  a  little  bit.  Let  him  know  that 
this  town  knows  how  to  vote  without  being 
told.  I  '11  send  a  man  to  rescue  him,  when 
things  have  gone  far  enough.  You  '11  know 
when  to  let  up.' 

"That  was  sufficient.  George  went  into  a 
store  and  cut  off  about  fifty  feet  of  new  rope. 
Some  fellows  that  knew  how  tied  a  hangman's 
knot.  As  we  came  up  to  the  stranger,  we  heard 
him  say  to  a  man,  '  I  tell  you,  sir,  these  bonds 
will  pauperize  unborn  gener — '  But  the 
noose  dropped  over  his  neck,  and  cut  short  his 
argument.  We  led  him  a  block  and  a  half 
through  the  little  town,  during  which  there 
was  a  pointed  argument  between  Wall  and  a 
"  Z —  "  man  whether  the  city  scales  or  the 


AROUND  THE  SPADE   WAGON     203 

stockyards  arch  gate  would  be  the  best  place  to 
hang  him.  There  were  a  hundred  men  around 
him  and  hanging  on  to  the  rope,  when  a  drug 
gist,  whom  most  of  them  knew,  burst  through 
the  crowd,  and  whipping  out  a  knife  cut  the 
rope  within  a  few  feet  of  his  neck.  '  What  in 
hell  are  you  varments  trying  to  do  ? '  roared 
the  druggist.  '  This  man  is  a  cousin  of  mine. 
Going  to  hang  him,  are  you  ?  Well,  you  '11 
have  to  hang  me  with  him  when  you  do.' 

" '  Just  as  soon  make  it  two  as  one,'  snarled 
George.  '  When  did  you  get  the  chips  in  this 
game,  I  'd  like  to  know  ?  Oppose  the  progress 
of  the  town,  too,  do  you  ? ' 

"  <  No,  I  don't,'  said  the  druggist,  <  and  I  '11 
see  that  my  cousin  here  does  n't.' 

" '  That 's  all  we  ask, then,'  said  Wall;  'turn 
him  loose,  boys.  We  don't  want  to  hang  no 
man.  We  hold  you  responsible  if  he  opens 
his  mouth  again  against  the  bonds.' 

"  *  Hold  me  responsible,  gentlemen,'  said 
the  druggist,  with  a  profound  bow.  *  Come 
with  me,  Cousin,'  he  said  to  the  Anti. 

"  The  druggist  took  him  through  his  store, 
and  up  some  back  stairs;  and  once  he  had 
him  alone,  this  was  his  advice,  as  reported  to 
us  later:  '  You  're  a  stranger  to  me.  I  lied  to 
those  men,  but  I  saved  your  life.  Now,  I  '11 
take  you  to  the  four-o'clock  train,  and  get  you 


204  CATTLE  BRANDS 

out  of  this  town.  By  this  act  I'll  incur  the 
hatred  of  these  people  that  I  live  amongst. 
So  you  let  the  idea  go  out  that  you  are  my 
cousin.  Sabe  ?  Now,  stay  right  here  and  I  '11 
bring  you  anything  you  want,  but  for  Heaven's 
sake,  don't  give  me  away.' 

"  '  Is — is — is  the  four  o'clock  train  the  first 
out?'  inquired  the  new  cousin. 

"'It  is  the  first.  I'll  see  you  through  this. 
I  '11  come  up  and  see  you  every  hour.  Take 
things  cool  and  easy  now.  I  'm  your  friend, 
remember,'  was  the  comfort  they  parted  on. 

"There  were  over  seven  hundred  votes  cast, 
and  only  one  against  the  bonds.  How  that 
one  vote  got  in  is  yet  a  mystery.  There  were 
no  hard  drinkers  among  the  boys,  all  easy 
drinkers,  men  that  never  refused  to  drink. 
Yet  voting  was  a  little  new  to  them,  and 
possibly  that  was  how  this  mistake  occurred. 
We  got  the  returns  early  in  the  evening.  The 
county  had  gone  by  a  handsome  majority  for 
the  bonds.  The  committee  on  entertainment 
had  provided  a  ball  for  us  in  the  basement  of 
the  Opera  House,  it  being  the  largest  room  in 
town.  When  the  good  news  began  to  circu 
late,  the  merchants  began  building  bonfires. 
Fellows  who  did  n't  have  extra  togs  on  for 
the  ball  got  out  their  horses,  and  in  squads  of 
twenty  to  fifty  rode  through  the  town,  painting 


AROUND  THE  SPADE  WAGON     205 

her  red.  If  there  was  one  shot  fired  that  night, 
there  were  ten  thousand. 

"I  bought  a  white  shirt  and  went  to  the 
ball.  To  show  you  how  general  the  good 
feeling  amongst  everybody  was,  I  squeezed 
the  hand  of  an  alfalfa  widow  during  a  waltz, 
who  instantly  reported  the  affront  offered  to 
her  gallant.  In  her  presence  he  took  me  to 
task  for  the  offense.  *  Young  man,'  said  the 
doctor,  with  a  quiet  wink, '  this  lady  is  under 
my  protection.  The  fourteenth  amendment 
don't  apply  to  you  nor  me.  Six-shooters,  how 
ever,  make  us  equal.  Are  you  armed  ? ' 

"  '  I  am,  sir.' 

"  <  Unfortunately,  I  am  not.  Will  you  kindly 
excuse  me,  say  ten  minutes  ? ' 

"*  Certainly,  sir,  with  pleasure.' 

"'  There  are  ladies  present,'  he  observed. 
'  Let  us  retire.' 

"  On  my  consenting,  he  turned  to  the  of 
fended  dame,  and  in  spite  of  her  protests  and 
appeals  to  drop  matters,  we  left  the  ballroom, 
glaring  daggers  at  each  other.  Once  outside, 
he  slapped  me  on  the  back,  and  said,  '  Say, 
we  '11  just  have  time  to  run  up  to  my  office, 
where  I  have  some  choice  old  copper-dis 
tilled,  sent  me  by  a  very  dear  friend  in  Ken 
tucky.' 

"  The  goods  were  all  he  claimed  for  them, 


206  CATTLE  BRANDS 

and  on  our  return  he  asked  me  as  a  personal 
favor  to  apologize  to  the  lady,  admitting  that 
he  was  none  too  solid  with  her  himself.  My 
doing  so,  he  argued,  would  fortify  him  with 
her  and  wipe  out  rivals.  The  doctor  was  a 
rattling  good  fellow,  and  I  'd  even  taken  off 
my  new  shirt  for  him,  if  he  'd  said  the  word. 
When  I  made  the  apology,  I  did  it  on  the 
grounds  that  I  could  not  afford  to  have  any 
difference,  especially  with  a  gentleman  who 
would  willingly  risk  his  life  for  a  lady  who 
claimed  his  protection. 

"  No,  if  you  never  heard  of  voting  the  bonds 
you  certainly  have  n't  kept  very  close  tab  on 
affairs  in  this  Strip.  Two  or  three  men  whom 
I  know  refused  to  go  in  and  vote.  They  ain't 
working  in  this  country  now.  It  took  some  of 
the  boys  ten  days  to  go  and  come,  but  there 
was  n't  a  word  said.  Wages  went  on  just  the 
same.  You  ain't  asleep,  are  you,  Don  Guil- 
lermo?" 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  Edwards,  with  a  yawn,  "  I 
feel  just  like  the  nigger  did  when  he  eat  his 
fill  of  possum,  corn  bread,  and  new  molasses: 
pushed  the  platter  away  and  said,  '  Go  way, 
'lasses,  you  done  los'  yo'  sweetness.'" 

Bradshaw  made  several  attempts  to  go,  but 
each  time  some  thought  would  enter  his  mind 
and  he  would  return  with  questions  about 


AROUND  THE  SPADE  WAGON     207 

former  acquaintances.  Finally  he  inquired, 
"  What  ever  became  of  that  little  fellow  who 
was  sick  about  your  camp  ?  " 

Edwards  meditated  until  Mouse  said, 
"He's  thinking  about  little  St.  John,  the 
fiddler." 

"  Oh,  yes,  Patsy  St.  John,  the  little  glass- 
blower,"  said  Edwards,  as  he  sat  up  on  a  roll 
of  bedding.  "  He  's  dead  long  ago.  Died  at 
our  camp.  I  did  something  for  him  that  I  've 
often  wondered  who  would  do  the  same  for 
me — I  closed  his  eyes  when  he  died.  You 
know  he  came  to  us  with  the  mark  on  his 
brow.  There  was  no  escape  ;  he  had  con 
sumption.  He  wanted  to  live,  and  struggled 
hard  to  avoid  going.  Until  three  days  before 
his  death  he  was  hopeful;  always  would  tell 
us  how  much  better  he  was  getting,  and  every 
one  could  see  that  he  was  gradually  going. 
We  always  gave  him  gentle  horses  to  ride, 
and  he  would  go  with  us  on  trips  that  we 
were  afraid  would  be  his  last.  There  was  n't 
a  man  on  the  range  who  ever  said  'No'  to 
him.  He  was  one  of  those  little  men  you 
can't  help  but  like;  small  physically,  but  with 
a  heart  as  big  as  an  ox's.  He  lived  about  three 
years  on  the  range,  was  welcome  wherever 
he  went,  and  never  made  an  enemy  or  lost 
a  friend.  He  could  n't;  it  was  n't  in  him.  I 


2o8  CATTLE  BRANDS 

don't  remember  now  how  he  came  to  the 
range,  but  think  he  was  advised  by  doctors  to 
lead  an  outdoor  life  for  a  change. 

"  He  was  born  in  the  South,  and  was  a  glass- 
blower  by  occupation.  He  would  have  died 
sooner,  but  for  his  pluck  and  confidence  that 
he  would  get  well.  He  changed  his  mind  one 
morning,  lost  hope  that  he  would  ever  get 
well,  and  died  in  three  days.  It  was  in  the 
spring.  We  were  going  out  one  morning  to 
put  in  a  flood-gate  on  the  river,  which  had 
washed  away  in  a  freshet.  He  was  ready  to 
go  along.  He  had  n't  been  on  a  horse  in  two 
weeks.  No  one  ever  pretended  to  notice  that 
he  was  sick.  He  was  sensitive  if  you  offered 
any  sympathy,  so  no  one  offered  to  assist,  ex 
cept  to  saddle  his  horse.  The  old  horse  stood 
like  a  kitten.  Not  a  man  pretended  to  notice, 
but  we  all  saw  him  put  his  foot  in  the  stir 
rup  three  different  times  and  attempt  to  lift 
himself  into  the  saddle.  He  simply  lacked  the 
strength.  He  asked  one  of  the  boys  to  un 
saddle  the  horse,  saying  he  would  n't  go  with 
us.  Some  of  the  boys  suggested  that  it  was  a 
long  ride,  and  it  was  best  he  did  n't  go,  that 
we  would  hardly  get  back  until  after  dark. 
But  we  had  no  idea  that  he  was  so  near  his 
end.  After  we  left,  he  went  back  to  the  shack 
and  told  the  cook  he  had  changed  his  mind, 


AROUND   THE  SPADE   WAGON     209 

—  that  he  was  going  to  die.  That  night,  when 
we  came  back,  he  was  lying  on  his  cot.  We 
all  tried  to  jolly  him,  but  each  got  the  same 
answer  from  him,  '  I  'm  going  to  die.'  The 
outfit  to  a  man  was  broke  up  about  it,  but 
all  kept  up  a  good  front.  We  tried  to  make 
him  believe  it  was  only  one  of  his  bad  days, 
but  he  knew  otherwise.  He  asked  Joe  Box 
and  Ham  Rhodes,  the  two  biggest  men  in  the 
outfit,  six-footers  and  an  inch  each,  to  sit  one 
on  each  side  of  his  cot  until  he  went  to  sleep. 
He  knew  better  than  any  of  us  how  near  he 
was  to  crossing.  But  it  seemed  he  felt  safe 
between  these  two  giants.  We  kept  up  a  run 
ning  conversation  in  jest  with  one  another, 
though  it  was  empty  mockery.  But  he  never 
pretended  to  notice.  It  was  plain  to  us  all 
that  the  fear  was  on  him.  We  kept  near  the 
shack  the  next  day,  some  of  the  boys  al 
ways  with  him.  The  third  evening  he  seemed 
to  rally,  talked  with  us  all,  and  asked  if  some 
of  the  boys  would  not  play  the  fiddle.  He  was 
a  good  player  himself.  Several  of  the  boys 
played  old  favorites  of  his,  interspersed  with 
stories  and  songs,  until  the  evening  was  pass 
ing  pleasantly.  We  were  recovering  from  our 
despondency  with  this  noticeable  recovery  on 
his  part,  when  he  whispered  to  his  two  big 
nurses  to  prop  him  up.  They  did  so  with  pil- 


210  CATTLE  BRANDS 

lows  and  parkers,  and  he  actually  smiled  on  us 
all.  He  whispered  to  Joe,  who  in  turn  asked  the 
lad  sitting  on  the  foot  of  the  cot  to  play  '  Fare 
well,  my  Sunny  Southern  Home.'  Strange  we 
had  forgotten  that  old  air, — for  it  was  a  gen 
eral  favorite  with  us, —  and  stranger  now  that 
he  should  ask  for  it.  As  that  old  familiar 
air  was  wafted  out  from  the  instrument,  he 
raised  his  eyes,  and  seemed  to  wander  in  his 
mind  as  if  trying  to  follow  the  refrain.  Then 
something  came  over  him,  for  he  sat  up  rigid, 
pointing  out  his  hand  at  the  empty  space,  and 
muttered,  '  There  stands  —  mother  —  now  — 
under  —  the  —  oleanders.  Who  is  —  that  with 
—  her?  Yes,  I  had  —  a  sister.  Open  —  the  — 
windows.  It  —  is  —  getting  —  dark  —  dark  — 
dark.' 

"  Large  hands  laid  him  down  tenderly,  but 
a  fit  of  coughing  came  on.  He  struggled  in  a 
hemorrhage  for  a  moment,  and  then  crossed 
over  to  the  waiting  figures  among  the  olean 
ders.  Of  all  the  broke-up  outfitSj  we  were  the 
most.  Dead  tough  men  bawled  like  babies. 
I  had  a  good  one  myself.  When  we  came 
around  to  our  senses,  we  all  admitted  it  was 
for  the  best.  Since  he  could  not  get  well,  he 
was  better  off.  We  took  him  next  day  about 
ten  miles  and  buried  him  with  those  freight 
ers  who  were  killed  when  the  Pawnees  raided 


AROUND  THE  SPADE  WAGON     211 

this  country.    Some  man  will  plant  corn  over 
their  graves  some  day." 

As  Edwards  finished  his  story,  his  voice 
trembled  and  there  were  tears  in  his  eyes.  A 
strange  silence  had  come  over  those  gathered 
about  the  camp-fire.  Mouse,  to  conceal  his 
emotion,  pretended  to  be  asleep,  while  Brad- 
shaw  made  an  effort  to  clear  his  throat  of 
something  that  would  neither  go  up  nor  down, 
and  failing  in  this,  turned  and  walked  away 
without  a  word.  Silently  we  unrolled  the 
beds,  and  with  saddles  for  pillows  and  the 
dome  of  heaven  for  a  roof,  we  fell  asleep. 


X 


THE  RANSOM  OF  DON  RAMON 
MORA 

ON  the  southern  slope  of  the  main 
tableland  which  divides  the  waters 
of  the  Nueces  and  Rio  Grande  rivers 
in  Texas,  lies  the  old  Spanish  land  grant  of 
"  Agua  Dulce,"  and  the  rancho  by  that  name. 
Twice  within  the  space  of  fifteen  years  was 
an  appeal  to  the  sword  taken  over  the  own 
ership  of  the  territory  between  these  rivers. 
Sparsely  settled  by  the  descendants  of  the 
original  grantees,  with  an  occasional  Amer 
ican  ranchman,  it  is  to-day  much  the  same  as 
when  the  treaty  of  peace  gave  it  to  the  stronger 
republic. 

This  frontier  on  the  south  has  undergone 
few  changes  in  the  last  half  century,  and  no 
improvements  have  been  made.  Here  the 
smuggler  against  both  governments  finds  an 
inviting  field.  The  bandit  and  the  robber  feel 
equally  at  home  under  either  flag.  Revolution 
ists  hatch  their  plots  against  the  powers  that 
be;  sedition  takes  on  life  and  finds  adherents 
eager  to  bear  arms  and  apply  the  torch. 


THE  RANSOM  OF  DON  RAMON     213 

Within  a  dozen  years  of  the  close  of  the 
century  just  past,  this  territory  was  infested 
by  a  band  of  robbers,  whose  boldness  has  had 
few  equals  in  the  history  of  American  brig 
andage.  The  Bedouins  of  the  Orient  justify 
their  freebooting  by  accounting  it  a  religious 
duty,  looking  upon  every  one  against  their 
faith  as  an  Infidel,  and  therefore  common 
property.  These  bandits  could  offer  no  such 
excuse,  for  they  plundered  people  of  their  own 
faith  and  blood.  They  were  Mexicans,  a  hy 
brid  mixture  of  Spanish  atrocity  and  Indian 
cruelty.  They  numbered  from  ten  to  twenty, 
and  for  several  months  terrorized  the  Mexi 
can  inhabitants  on  both  sides  of  the  river.  On 
the  American  side  they  were  particular  never 
to  molest  any  one  except  those  of  their  own 
nationality.  These  they  robbed  with  impunity, 
nor  did  their  victims  dare  to  complain  to  the 
authorities,  so  thoroughly  were  they  terrified 
and  coerced. 

The  last  and  most  daring  act  of  these  ma 
rauders  was  the  kidnapping  of  Don  Ramon 
Mora,  owner  of  the  princely  grant  of  Agua 
Dulce.  Thousands  of  cattle  and  horses  ranged 
over  the  vast  acres  of  his  ranch,  and  he  was 
reputed  to  be  a  wealthy  man.  No  one  ever  en 
joyed  the  hospitality  of  Agua  Dulce  but  went 
his  way  with  an  increased  regard  for  its  owner 


214  CATTLE  BRANDS 

and  his  estimable  Castilian  family.  The  rancho 
lay  back  from  the  river  probably  sixty  miles, 
and  was  on  the  border  of  the  chaparral,  which 
was  the  rendezvous  of  the  robbers.  Don 
Ramon  had  a  pleasant  home  in  one  of  the 
river  towns.  One  June  he  and  his  family  had 
gone  to  the  ranch,  intending  to  spend  a  few 
weeks  there.  He  had  notified  cattle-buyers 
of  this  vacation,  and  had  invited  them  to  visit 
him  there  either  on  business  or  pleasure. 

One  evening  an  unknown  vaquero  rode  up 
to  the  rancho  and  asked  for  Don  Ramon.  That 
gentleman  presenting  himself,  the  stranger 
made  known  his  errand:  a  certain  firm  of 
well-known  drovers,  friends  of  the  ranchero, 
were  encamped  for  the  night  at  a  ranchita 
some  ten  miles  distant.  They  regretted  that 
they  could  not  visit  him,  but  they  would  be 
pleased  to  see  him.  They  gave  as  an  excuse 
for  not  calling  that  they  were  driving  quite  a 
herd  of  cattle,  and  the  corrals  at  this  little 
ranch  were  unsafe  for  the  number  they  had, 
so  that  they  were  compelled  to  hold  outside  or 
night-herd.  This  very  plausible  story  was  ac 
cepted  without  question  by  Don  Ramon,  who 
well  understood  the  handling  of  herds.  Invit 
ing  the  messenger  to  some  refreshment,  he  or 
dered  his  horse  saddled  and  made  preparation 
to  return  with  this  pseudo  vaquero.  Telling 


THE  RANSOM  OF  DON  RAMON    215 

his  family  that  he  would  be  gone  for  the  night, 
he  rode  away  with  the  stranger. 

There  were  several  thickety  groves,  extend 
ing  from  the  main  chaparral  out  for  considera 
ble  distance  on  the  prairie,  but  not  of  as  rank 
a  growth  as  on  the  alluvial  river  bottoms. 
These  thickets  were  composed  of  thorny  un 
derbrush,  frequently  as  large  as  fruit  trees  and 
of  a  density  which  made  them  impenetrable, 
except  by  those  thoroughly  familiar  with  the 
few  established  trails.  The  road  from  Agua 
Dulce  to  the  ranchita  was  plain  and  well 
known,  yet  passing  through  several  arms  of 
the  main  body  of  the  chaparral.  Don  Ramon 
and  his  guide  reached  one  of  these  thickets 
after  nightfall.  Suddenly  they  were  surrounded 
by  a  dozen  horsemen,  who,  with  oaths  and 
jests,  told  him  that  he  was  their  prisoner.  Re 
lieving  Don  Ramon  of  his  firearms  and  other 
valuables,  one  of  the  bandits  took  the  bridle 
off  his  horse,  and  putting  a  rope  around  the 
animal's  neck,  the  band  turned  towards  the 
river  with  their  captive.  Near  morning  they 
went  into  one  of  their  many  retreats  in  the 
chaparral,  fettering  their  prisoner.  What  the 
feelings  of  Don  Ramon  Mora  were  that  night 
is  not  for  pen  to  picture,  for  they  must  have 
been  indescribable. 

The  following  day  the  leader  of  these  ban- 


216  CATTLE  BRANDS 

dits  held  several  conversations  with  him,  ask 
ing  in  regard  to  his  family,  his  children  in  par 
ticular,  their  names,  number,  and  ages.  When 
evening  came  they  set  out  once  more  south 
ward,  crossing  the  Rio  Grande  during  the  night 
at  an  unused  ford.  The  next  morning  found 
them  well  inland  on  the  Mexican  side,  and 
encamped  in  one  of  their  many  chaparral  ren 
dezvous.  Here  they  spent  several  days,  some 
times,  however,  only  a  few  of  the  band  being 
present.  The  density  of  the  thickets  on  the 
first  and  second  bottoms  of  this  river,  extend 
ing  back  inland  often  fifty  miles,  made  this 
camp  and  refuge  almost  inaccessible.  The 
country  furnished  their  main  subsistence ; 
fresh  meat  was  always  at  hand,  while  their 
comrades,  scouting  the  river  towns,  supplied 
such  comforts  as  were  lacking. 

Don  Ramon's  appeals  to  his  captors  to  know 
his  offense  and  what  his  punishment  was  to  be 
were  laughed  at  until  he  had  been  their  pri 
soner  a  week.  One  night  several  of  the  party 
returned,  awoke  him  out  of  a  friendly  sleep, 
and  he  was  notified  that  their  chief  would 
join  them  by  daybreak,  and  then  he  would 
know  what  his  offense  had  been.  When  this 
personage  made  his  appearance,  he  ordered 
Don  Ramon  released  from  his  fetters.  Every 
one  in  camp  showed  obeisance  to  him.  After 


THE  RANSOM  OF  DON  RAMON    217 

holding  a  general  conversation  with  his  fol 
lowers,  he  approached  Don  Ramon,  the  band 
forming  a  circle  about  the  prisoner  and  their 
chief. 

"  Don  Ramon  Mora,"  he  began,  with  mock 
courtesy,  "  doubtless  you  consider  yourself  an 
innocent  and  abused  person.  In  that  you  are 
wrong.  Your  offense  is  a  political  one.  Your 
family  for  three  generations  have  opposed  the 
freedom  of  Mexico.  When  our  people  were 
conquered  and  control  was  given  to  the 
French,  it  was  through  the  treachery  of  such 
men  as  you.  Treason  is  unpardonable,  Senor 
Mora.  It  is  useless  to  enumerate  your  crimes 
against  human  liberty.  Living  as  you  do  un 
der  a  friendly  government,  you  have  incited 
the  ignorant  to  revolution  and  revolt  against 
the  native  rulers.  Secret  agents  of  our  com 
mon  country  have  shadowed  you  for  years.  It 
is  useless  to  deny  your  guilt.  Your  execution, 
therefore,  will  be  secret,  in  order  that  your  co- 
workers  in  infamy  shall  not  take  alarm,  but 
may  meet  a  similar  fate." 

Turning  to  one  of  the  party  who  had  acted 
as  leader  at  the  time  of  his  capture,  he  gave 
these  instructions:  "  Be  in  no  hurry  to  exe 
cute  these  orders.  Death  is  far  too  light  a 
sentence  to  fit  his  crime.  He  is  beyond  a  full 
measure  of  justice."  There  was  a  chorus  of 


218  CATTLE  BRANDS 

"bravos"  when  the  bandit  chief  finished  this 
trumped-up  charge.  As  he  turned  from  the 
prisoner,  Don  Ramon  pleadingly  begged, 
"  Only  take  me  before  an  established  court 
that  I  may  prove  my  innocence." 

"No!  sentence  has  been  passed  upon  you. 
If  you  hope  for  mercy,  it  must  come  from 
there,"  and  the  chief  pointed  heavenward. 
One  of  the  band  led  out  the  arch-chief's  horse, 
and  with  a  parting  instruction  to  "  conceal  his 
grave  carefully,"  he  rode  away  with  but  a  sin 
gle  attendant. 

As  they  led  Don  Ramon  back  to  his  blanket 
and  replaced  the  fetters,  his  cup  of  sorrow 
was  full  to  overflowing.  Oddly  enough  the 
leader,  since  sentence  of  death  had  been  pro 
nounced  upon  his  victim,  was  the  only  one  of 
the  band  who  showed  any  kindness.  The 
others  were  brutal  in  their  jeers  and  taunts. 
Some  remarks  burned  into  his  sensitive  na 
ture  as  vitriol  burns  into  metal.  The  bandit 
leader  alone  offered  little  kindnesses. 

Two  days  later,  the  acting  chief  ordered 
the  irons  taken  from  the  captive's  feet,  and 
the  two  men,  with  but  a  single  attendant, 
who  kept  a  respectful  distance,  started  out  for 
a  stroll.  The  bandit  chief  expressed  his  re 
gret  at  the  sad  duty  which  had  been  allotted 
him,  and  assured  Don  Ramon  that  he  would 


THE  RANSOM  OF  DON  RAMON    219 

gladly  make  his  time  as  long  as  was  permis 
sible. 

"  I  thank  you  for  your  kindness,"  said  Don 
Ramon,  "  but  is  there  no  chance  to  be  given 
me  to  prove  the  falsity  of  these  charges  ?  Am 
I  condemned  to  die  without  a  hearing?" 

"  There  is  no  hope  from  that  source." 

"  Is  there  any  hope  from  any  source?  " 

"Scarcely,"  replied  the  leader,  "and  still, 
if  we  could  satisfy  those  in  authority  over  us 
that  you  had  been  executed  as  ordered,  and  if 
my  men  could  be  bribed  to  certify  the  fact 
if  necessary,  and  if  you  pledge  us  to  quit  the 
country  forever,  who  would  know  to  the  con 
trary?  True,  our  lives  would  be  in  jeopardy, 
and  it  would  mean  death  to  you  if  you  be 
trayed  us." 

"  Is  this  possible  ?  "  asked  Don  Ramon  ex 
citedly. 

"  The  color  of  gold  makes  a  good  many 
things  possible." 

"  I  would  gladly  give  all  I  possess  in  the 
world  for  one  hour's  peace  in  the  presence  of 
my  family,  even  if  in  the  next  my  soul  was 
summoned  to  the  bar  of  God.  True,  in  lands 
and  cattle  I  am  wealthy,  but  the  money  at 
my  command  is  limited,  though  I  wish  it  were 
otherwise." 

"  It  is  a  fortunate  thing  that  you  are  a  man 


220  CATTLE  BRANDS 

of  means.  Say  nothing  to  your  guards,  and  I 
will  have  a  talk  this  very  night  with  two  men 
whom  I  can  trust,  and  we  will  see  what  can 
be  done  for  you.  Come,  sefior,  don't  despair, 
for  I  feel  there  is  some  hope,"  concluded  the 
bandit. 

The  family  of  Don  Ramon  were  uneasy  but 
not  alarmed  by  his  failure  to  return  to  them 
the  day  following  his  departure.  After  two 
days  had  passed,  during  which  no  word  had 
come  from  him,  his  wife  sent  an  old  servant 
to  see  if  he  was  still  at  the  ranchita.  There 
the  man  learned  that  his  master  had  not  been 
seen,  nor  had  there  been  any  drovers  there 
recently.  Under  the  promise  of  secrecy,  the 
servant  was  further  informed  that,  on  the  very 
day  that  Don  Ramon  had  left  his  home,  a 
band  of  robbers  had  driven  into  a  corral  at  a 
ranch  in  the  monte  a  remudo  of  ranch  horses, 
and,  asking  no  one's  consent,  had  proceeded  to 
change  their  mounts,  leaving  their  own  tired 
horses.  This  they  did  at  noonday,  without  so 
much  as  a  hand  raised  in  protest,  so  terrified 
were  the  people  of  the  ranch. 

On  the  servant's  return  to  Agua  Dulce, 
the  alarm  and  grief  of  the  family  were  pitiful, 
as  was  their  helplessness.  When  darkness  set 
in  Senora  Mora  sent  a  letter  by  a  peon  to  an 
old  family  friend  at  his  home  on  the  river. 


THE  RANSOM  OF  DON  RAMON    221 

The  next  night  three  men,  for  mutual  pro 
tection,  brought  back  a  reply.  From  it  these 
plausible  deductions  were  made:  — 

That  Don  Ramon  had  been  kidnapped  for 
a  ransom;  that  these  bandits  no  doubt  were 
desperate  men  who  would  let  nothing  inter 
fere  with  their  plans;  that  to  notify  the  au 
thorities  and  ask  for  help  might  end  in  his 
murder;  and  that  if  kidnapped  for  a  ransom, 
overtures  for  his  redemption  would  be  made 
in  due  time.  As  he  was  entirely  at  the  mercy 
of  his  captors,  they  must  look  for  hope  only 
from  that  source.  If  reward  was  their  motive, 
he  was  worth  more  living  than  dead.  This  was 
the  only  consolation  deduced.  The  letter  con 
cluded  by  advising  them  to  meet  any  overture 
in  strict  confidence.  As  only  money  would  be 
acceptable  in  such  a  case,  the  friend  pledged 
all  his  means  in  behalf  of  Don  Ramon  should 
it  be  needed. 

These  were  anxious  days  and  weary  nights 
for  this  innocent  family.  The  father,  no  doubt, 
would  welcome  death  itself  in  preference  to 
the  rack  on  which  he  was  kept  by  his  captors. 
Time  is  not  considered  valuable  in  warm  cli 
mates,  and  two  weary  days  were  allowed  to 
pass  before  any  conversation  was  renewed 
with  Don  Ramon. 

Then  once  more  the  chief  had  the  fetters 


222  CATTLE  BRANDS 

removed  from  his  victim's  ankles,  with  the 
customary  guard  within  call.  He  explained 
that  many  of  the  men  were  away,  and  it  would 
be  several  days  yet  before  he  could  know  if  the 
outlook  for  his  release  was  favorable.  From 
what  he  had  been  able  to  learn  so  far,  at  least 
fifty  thousand  dollars  would  be  necessary  to 
satisfy  the  band,  which  numbered  twenty,  five 
of  whom  were  spies.  They  were  poor  men,  he 
further  explained,  many  of  them  had  families, 
and  if  they  accepted  money  in  a  case  like  this, 
self-banishment  was  the  only  safe  course,  as 
the  political  society  to  which  they  belonged 
would  place  a  price  on  their  heads  if  they  were 
detected. 

"  The  sum  mentioned  is  a  large  one,"  com 
mented  Don  Ramon,  "  but  it  is  nothing  to  the 
mental  anguish  that  I  suffer  daily.  If  I  had 
time  and  freedom,  the  money  might  be  raised. 
But  as  it  is,  it  is  doubtful  if  I  could  command 
one  fifth  of  it." 

"  You  have  a  son,"  said  the  chief,  "  a  young 
man  of  twenty.  Could  he  not  as  well  as  your 
self  raise  this  amount?  A  letter  could  be 
placed  in  his  hands  stating  that  a  political  so 
ciety  had  sentenced  you  to  death,  and  that  your 
life  was  only  spared  from  day  to  day  by  the 
sufferance  of  your  captors.  Ask  him  to  raise 
this  sum,  tell  him  it  would  mean  freedom  and 


THE  RANSOM  OF  DON  RAMON    223 

restoration  to  your  family.  Could  he  not  do 
this  as  well  as  you  ?  " 

"  If  time  were  given  him,  possibly.  Can  I 
send  him  such  a  letter?  "  pleaded  Don  Ramon, 
brightening  with  the  hope  of  this  new  oppor 
tunity. 

"  It  would  be  impossible  at  present.  The 
consent  of  all  interested  must  first  be  gained. 
Our  responsibility  then  becomes  greater  than 
yours.  No  false  step  must  be  taken.  To-mor 
row  is  the  soonest  that  we  can  get  a  hearing 
with  all.  There  must  be  no  dissenters  to  the 
plan  or  it  fails,  and  then  —  well,  the  execution 
has  been  delayed  long  enough." 

Thus  the  days  wore  on. 

The  absence  of  the  band,  except  for  the 
few  who  guarded  the  prisoner,  was  policy  on 
their  part.  They  were  receiving  the  news 
from  the  river  villages  daily,  where  the  friends 
of  Don  Ramon  discussed  his  absence  in  whis 
pers.  Their  system  of  espionage  was  as  care 
ful  as  their  methods  were  cruel  and  heartless. 
They  even  got  reports  from  the  ranch  that  not 
a  member  of  the  family  had  ventured  away 
since  its  master's  capture.  The  local  authori 
ties  were  inactive.  The  bandits  would  play 
their  cards  for  a  high  ransom. 

Early  one  morning  after  a  troubled  night's 
rest,  Don  Ramon  was  awakened  by  the  arrival 


224  CATTLE   BRANDS 

of  the  robbers,  several  of  whom  were  bois 
terously  drunk.  It  was  only  with  curses  and 
drawn  arms  that  the  chief  prevented  these  men 
from  committing  outrages  on  their  helpless 
captive. 

After  coffee  was  served,  the  chief  unfolded 
his  plot  to  them,  with  Don  Ramon  as  a  listener 
to  the  proceedings.  Addressing  them,  he  said 
that  the  prisoner's  offense  was  not  one  against 
them  or  theirs;  that  at  best  they  were  but  the 
hirelings  of  others;  that  they  were  poorly  paid, 
and  that  it  had  become  sickening  to  him  to 
do  the  bloody  work  for  others.  Don  Ramon 
Mora  had  gold  at  his  command,  enough  to 
give  each  more  in  a  day  than  they  could  hope 
to  receive  for  years  of  this  inhuman  servitude. 
He  could  possibly  pay  to  each  two  thousand 
dollars  for  his  freedom,  guaranteeing  them  his 
gratitude,  and  pledging  to  refrain  from  any 
prosecution.  Would  they  accept  this  offer  or 
refuse  it?  As  many  as  were  in  favor  of  grant 
ing  his  life  would  deposit  in  his  hat  a  leaf  from 
the  mesquite;  those  opposed,  a  leaf  from  the 
wild  cane  which  surrounded  their  camp. 

The  vote  asked  for  was  watched  by  the 
prisoner  as  only  a  man  could  watch  whose 
life  hung  in  the  balance.  There  were  eight 
cane  leaves  to  seven  of  the  mesquite.  The 
chief  flew  into  a  rage,  cursed  his  followers  for 


THE  RANSOM  OF  DON  RAMON    225 

murderers  for  refusing  to  let  the  life  blood 
run  in  this  man,  who  had  never  done  one  of 
them  an  injury.  He  called  them  cowards  for 
attacking  the  helpless,  even  accusing  them  of 
lack  of  respect  for  their  chief's  wishes.  The 
majority  hung  their  heads  like  whipped  curs. 
When  he  had  finished  his  harangue,  one  of 
their  number  held  up  his  hand  to  beg  the 
privilege  of  speaking. 

"Yes,  defend  your  dastardly  act  if  you  can," 
said  the  chief. 

"  Capitan,"  said  the  man,  making  obeisance 
and  tapping  his  breast,  "there  is  an  oath  re 
corded  here,  in  memory  of  a  father  who  was 
hanged  by  the  French  for  no  other  crime  save 
that  he  was  a  patriot  to  the  land  of  his  birth. 
And  you  ask  me  to  violate  my  vow!  To  the 
wind  with  your  sympathy!  To  the  gallows 
with  our  enemies !  "  There  was  a  chorus  of 
"bravos"  and  shouts  of  "  Vivi  el  Mejico,"  as' 
the  majority  congratulated  the  speaker. 

When  the  chief  led  the  prisoner  back  to  his 
blanket,  he  spoke  hopefully  to  Don  Ramon,  ex 
plaining  that  it  was  the  mescal  the  men  had 
drunk  which  made  them  so  unreasonable  and 
defiant.  Promising  to  reason  with  them  when 
they  were  more  sober,  he  left  Don  Ramon  with 
his  solitary  guard.  The  chief  then  returned  to 
the  band,  where  he  received  the  congratula- 


226  CATTLE   BRANDS 

tions  of  his  partners  in  crime  on  his  mock  sym 
pathy.  It  was  agreed  that  the  majority  should 
be  won  over  at  the  next  council,  which  they 
would  hold  that  evening. 

The  chief  returned  to  his  prisoner  during 
the  day,  and  expressed  a  hope  that  by  even 
ing,  when  his  followers  would  be  perfectly  so 
ber,  they  would  listen  to  reason.  He  doubted, 
however,  if  the  sum  first  named  would  sat 
isfy  them,  and  insisted  that  he  be  authorized 
to  offer  more.  To  this  latter  proposition  Don 
Ramon  made  answer,  "  I  am  helpless  to  pro 
mise  you  anything,  but  if  you  will  only  place 
me  in  correspondence  with  my  son,  all  I  pos 
sess,  everything  that  can  be  hypothecated  shall 
go  to  satisfy  your  demands.  Only  let  it  be 
soon,  for  this  suspense  is  killing  me." 

An  hour  before  dark  the  band  was  once 
more  summoned  together,  with  Don  Ramon 
in  their  midst.  The  chief  asked  the  majority 
if  they  had  any  compromise  to  offer  to  his  pro 
position  of  the  morning,  and  received  a  nega 
tive  answer.  "Then,"  said  he,  "remember 
that  a  trusting  wife  and  eight  children,  the 
eldest  a  lad  of  twenty,  the  youngest  a  tod 
dling  tot  of  a  girl,  claim  a  husband  and  a  fa 
ther's  love  at  the  hands  of  the  prisoner  here. 
Are  you  such  base  ingrates  that  you  can  show 
no  mercy,  not  even  to  the  innocent?  " 


THE  RANSOM  OF  DON  RAMON     227 

The  majority  were  abashed,  and  one  by  one 
fell  back  in  the  distance.  Finally  a  middle- 
aged  man  came  forward  and  said,  "  Give  us 
five  thousand  dollars  in  gold  apiece,  the  money 
to  be  in  hand,  and  the  prisoner  may  have  his 
liberty,  all  other  conditions  made  in  the  morn 
ing  to  be  binding." 

"  Your  answer  to  that,  Don  Ramon  ?  "  asked 
the  chief. 

"  I  have  promised  my  all.  I  ask  nothing 
but  life.  I  may  have  friends  who  will  assist. 
Give  me  an  opportunity  to  see  what  can  be 
done." 

"You  shall  have  it,"  replied  the  chief,  "and 
on  its  success  depends  your  liberty  or  the  con 
sequences." 

Going  amongst  the  band,  he  ordered  them 
to  meet  again  in  three  days  at  one  of  their 
rendezvous  near  Agua  Dulce ;  to  go  by  twos, 
visit  the  river  towns  on  the  way,  to  pick  up 
all  items  of  interest,  and  particularly  to  watch 
for  any  movement  of  the  authorities. 

Retaining  two  of  his  companions  to  act  as 
guards,  the  others  saddled  their  horses  and 
dispersed  by  various  routes.  The  chief  waited 
until  the  moon  was  well  up,  then  abandoned 
their  camp  of  the  last  ten  days  and  set  out 
towards  Agua  Dulce.  To  show  his  friendship 
for  his  victim,  he  removed  all  irons,  but  did  not 


228  CATTLE  BRANDS 

give  freedom  to  Don  Ramon's  horse,  which 
was  led,  as  before. 

It  was  after  midnight  when  they  recrossed 
the  river  to  the  American  side,  using  a  ford 
known  to  but  a  few  smugglers.  When  day 
broke  they  were  well  inland  and  secure  in  the 
chaparral.  Another  night's  travel,  and  they 
were  encamped  in  the  place  agreed  upon. 
Reports  which  the  members  of  the  band 
brought  to  the  chief  showed  that  the  author 
ities  had  made  no  movement  as  yet,  so  evi 
dently  this  outrage  had  never  been  properly 
reported. 

Don  Ramon  was  now  furnished  paper  and 
pencil,  and  he  addressed  a  letter  to  his  son  and 
family.  The  contents  can  easily  be  imagined. 
It  concluded  with  an  appeal  to  secrecy,  and 
an  order  to  observe  in  confidence  and  honor 
any  compact  made,  as  his  life  and  liberty  de 
pended  on  it.  When  this  missive  had  passed 
the  scrutiny  of  the  bandits,  it  was  dispatched 
by  one  of  their  number  to  Senora  Mora.  It 
was  just  two  weeks  since  Don  Ramon's  dis 
appearance,  a  fortnight  of  untold  anguish  and 
uncertainty  to  his  family. 

The  messenger  reached  Agua  Dulce  an  hour 
before  midnight,  and  seeing  a  light  in  the 
house,  warned  the  inmates  of  his  presence  by 
the  usual  "  Ave  Maria ,"  a  friendly  salutation 


THE  RANSOM  OF  DON  RAMON     229 

invoking  the  blessings  of  the  saints  on  all 
within  hearing.  Supposing  that  some  friend 
had  a  word  for  them,  the  son  went  outside, 
meeting  the  messenger. 

"  Are  you  the  son  of  Don  Ramon  Mora  ?  " 
asked  the  bandit. 

"  I  am,"  replied  the  young  man;  "  won't  you 
dismount?" 

"  No.  I  bear  a  letter  to  you  from  your  father. 
One  moment,  senor!  I  have  within  call  half  a 
dozen  men.  Give  no  alarm.  Read  his  instruc 
tions  to  you.  I  shall  expect  an  answer  in  half 
an  hour.  The  letter,  senor." 

The  son  hastened  into  the  house  to  read  his 
father's  communication.  The  bandit  kept  a 
strict  watch  over  the  premises  to  see  that  no 
demonstration  was  made  against  him.  When 
the  half  hour  was  nearly  up,  the  son  came  for 
ward  and  tendered  the  answer.  Passing  the 
compliments  of  the  moment,  the  man  rode 
away  as  airily  as  though  the  question  were  of 
hearts  instead  of  life.  The  reply  was  first  read 
by  Don  Ramon,  then  turned  over  to  the  chief. 
It  would  require  a  second  letter,  which  was 
to  be  called  for  in  four  days.  Things  were 
now  nearing  the  danger  point.  They  must  be 
doubly  vigilant;  so  all  but  the  chief  and  two 
guards  scattered  out  and  watched  every  move 
ment.  Two  or  three  towns  on  the  river  were 


230  CATTLE  BRANDS 

to  have  special  care.  Friends  of  the  family 
lived  in  these  towns.  They  must  be  watched. 
The  officers  of  the  law  were  the  most  to  be 
feared.  Every  bit  of  conversation  overheard 
was  carefully  noted,  with  its  effects  and  bear 
ing. 

At  the  appointed  time,  another  messenger 
was  sent  to  the  ranch,  but  only  a  part  of  the 
band  returned  to  know  the  result.  The  sum 
which  the  son  reported  at  his  command  was 
very  disappointing.  It  would  not  satisfy  the 
leaders,  and  there  would  be  nothing  for  the 
others.  It  was  out  of  the  question  to  consider 
it.  The  chief  cursed  himself  for  letting  his 
sympathy  get  the  better  of  him.  Why  had  he 
not  listened  to  the  majority  and  been  true  to 
an  accepted  duty  ?  He  called  himself  a  woman 
for  having  acted  as  he  had  —  a  man  unfit  to 
be  trusted. 

Don  Ramon  heard  these  self-reproaches  of 
the  chief  with  a  heavy  heart,  and  when  op 
portunity  occurred,  he  pleaded  for  one  more 
chance.  He  had  many  friends.  There  had 
not  been  time  enough  to  see  them  all.  His 
lands  and  cattle  had  not  been  hypothecated. 
Give  him  one  more  chance.  Have  mercy. 

"I  was  a  fool,"  said  the  chief,  "to  listen  to 
a  condemned  man's  hopes,  but  having  gone 
so  far  I  might  as  well  be  hung  for  a  sheep 


THE  RANSOM  OF  DON  RAMON    231 

as  a  lamb."  Turning  to  Don  Ramon,  he  said, 
"Write  your  son  that  if  twice  the  sum  named 
in  his  letter  is  not  forthcoming  within  a  week, 
it  will  be  too  late." 

The  chief  now  became  very  surly,  often  de 
claring  that  the  case  was  hopeless;  that  the 
money  could  never  be  raised.  He  taunted 
his  captive  with  the  fact  that  he  had  always 
considered  himself  above  his  neighbors,  and 
that  now  he  could  not  command  means  enough 
to  purchase  the  silence  and  friendship  of  a 
score  of  beggars !  His  former  kindness  changed 
to  cruelty  at  every  opportunity;  and  he  took 
delight  in  hurling  his  venom  on  his  helpless 
victim. 

Dispatching  the  letter,  he  ordered  the  band 
to  scatter  as  before,  appointing  a  meeting  place 
a  number  of  days  hence.  After  the  return  of 
the  messenger,  he  broke  camp  in  the  middle 
of  the  night,  not  forgetting  to  add  other  in 
dignities  to  the  heavy  irons  already  on  his 
victim.  During  the  ensuing  time  they  trav 
eled  the  greater  portion  of  each  night.  To 
the  prisoner's  questions  as  to  where  they  were 
he  received  only  insulting  replies.  His  in 
quiries  served  only  to  suggest  other  cruelties. 
One  night  they  set  out  unusually  early,  the 
chief  saying  that  they  would  recross  the  river 
before  morning,  so  that  if  the  ransom  was  not 


232  CATTLE  BRANDS 

satisfactory,  the  execution  might  take  place 
at  once.  On  this  night  the  victim  was  blind 
folded.  After  many  hours  of  riding — it  was 
nearly  morning  when  they  halted  —  the  band 
age  was  removed  from  his  eyes,  and  he  was 
asked  if  he  knew  the  place. 

"Yes,  it  is  Agua  Dulce." 

The  moon  shone  over  its  white  stone  build 
ings,  quietly  sleeping  in  the  still  hours  of  the 
night,  as  over  the  white,  silent  slabs  of  a  coun 
try  churchyard.  Not  a  sound  could  be  heard 
from  any  living  thing.  They  dismounted  and 
gagged  their  prisoner.  Tying  their  horses  at 
a  respectable  distance,  they  led  their  victim 
toward  his  home.  Don  Ramon  was  a  small 
man,  and  could  offer  no  resistance  to  his  cap 
tors.  They  cautioned  him  that  the  slightest  re 
sistance  would  mean  death,  while  compliance 
to  their  wishes  carried  a  hope  of  life. 

Cautiously  and  with  a  stealthy  step,  they 
advanced  like  the  thieves  they  were,  their  vic 
tim  in  the  iron  grasp  of  two  strong  guards, 
while  a  rope  with  a  running  noose  around  his 
neck,  in  the  hands  of  the  chief,  made  their  gag 
doubly  effective.  A  garden  wall  ran  within  a 
few  feet  of  the  rear  of  the  house,  and  behind 
it  they  crouched.  The  only  sound  was  the 
labored  breathing  of  their  prisoner.  Hark  ! 
the  cry  of  a  child  is  heard  within  the  house. 


THE  RANSOM  OF  DON  RAMON     233 

Oh,  God!  it  is  his  child,  his  baby  girl.  Listen! 
The  ear  of  the  mother  has  heard  it,  and  her 
soothing  voice  has  reached  his  anxious  ear. 
His  wife  —  the  mother  of  his  children  —  is 
now  bending  over  their  baby's  crib.  The  mus 
cles  of  Don  Ramon's  arms  turn  to  iron.  His 
eyes  flash  defiance  at  the  grinning  fiends  who 
exult  at  his  misery.  The  running  noose  tight 
ens  on  his  neck,  and  he  gasps  for  breath.  As 
they  lead  him  back  to  his  horse,  his  brain 
seems  on  fire ;  he  questions  his  own  sanity, 
even  the  mercy  of  Heaven. 

When  the  sun  arose  that  morning,  they  were 
far  away  in  one  of  the  impenetrable  thickets 
in  which  the  country  abounded.  Since  his  cap 
ture  Don  Ramon  had  suffered,  but  never  as 
now.  Death  would  have  been  preferable,  not 
that  life  had  no  claims  upon  him,  but  that  he 
no  longer  had  hopes  of  liberty.  The  uncer 
tainty  was  unbearable.  The  bandits  exercised 
caution  enough  to  keep  all  means  of  self-de 
struction  out  of  his  reach.  Hardened  as  they 
were,  they  noticed  that  their  last  racking  of 
the  prisoner  had  benumbed  even  hope. 

Sleep  alone  was  kind  to  him,  though  he 
usually  awoke  to  find  his  dreams  a  mockery. 
That  night  the  answer  to  the  second  demand 
would  arrive.  A  number  of  the  band  came 
in  during  the  day  and  brought  the  rumor  that 


234  CATTLE  BRANDS 

the  governor  of  the  State  had  been  notified 
of  their  high-handed  actions.  It  was  thought 
that  a  company  of  Texas  Rangers  would  be 
ordered  to  the  Rio  Grande.  This  meant  ac 
tion,  and  soon.  When  the  reply  came  from 
the  son  of  Don  Ramon,  he  was  notified  to  have 
the  money  ready  at  a  certain  abandoned  ran- 
chita,  though  the  amount,  now  increased,  was 
not  as  large  as  was  expected.  It  required  two 
days  longer  for  the  delivery,  which  was  to  be 
made  at  midnight,  and  to  be  accompanied  by 
not  over  two  messengers. 

At  this  juncture,  a  squad  of  ten  Texas  Ran 
gers  disembarked  at  the  nearest  point  on  the 
railroad  to  this  river  village.  The  emergency 
appeal,  which  had  finally  reached  the  gov 
ernor's  ear,  was  acted  upon  promptly,  and 
though  the  men  seemed  very  few  in  number, 
they  were  tried,  experienced,  fearless  Rangers, 
from  the  crack  company  of  the  State.  There 
was  no  waste  of  time  after  leaving  the  train. 
The  little  command  set  out  apparently  for  the 
river  home  of  Don  Ramon,  distant  nearly  a 
hundred  miles.  After  darkness  had  set  in,  the 
captain  of  the  squad  cut  his  already  small 
command  in  two,  sending  a  lieutenant  with 
four  men  to  proceed  by  way  of  Agua  Dulce 
ranch,  the  remainder  continuing  on  to  the 
river.  The  captain  refused  them  even  pack 


THE  RANSOM  OF  DON  RAMON     235 

horse  or  blanket,  allowing  them  only  their 
arms.  He  instructed  them  to  call  themselves 
cowboys,  and  in  case  they  met  any  Mexicans, 
to  make  inquiries  for  a  well-known  Ameri 
can  ranch  which  was  located  in  the  chaparral. 
With  a  few  simple  instructions  from  his  supe 
rior,  the  lieutenant  and  squad  rode  away  into 
the  darkness  of  a  June  night. 

It  was  in  reality  the  dark  hour  before  dawn 
when  they  reached  Agua  Dulce.  As  secretly 
as  possible  the  lieutenant  aroused  Don  Ra 
mon's  wife  and  sought  an  interview  with  her. 
Speaking  Spanish  fluently,  he  explained  his 
errand  and  her  duty  to  put  him  in  possession 
of  all  the  facts  in  the  case.  Bewildered,  as 
any  gentlewoman  would  be  under  the  circum 
stances,  she  reluctantly  told  the  main  facts. 
This  officer  treated  Sefiora  Mora  with  every 
courtesy,  and  was  eventually  rewarded  when 
she  requested  him  and  his  men  to  remain  her 
guests  until  her  son  should  return,  which 
would  be  before  noon.  She  explained  that  he 
would  bring  a  large  sum  of  money  with  him, 
which  was  to  be  the  ransom  price  of  her  hus 
band,  and  which  was  to  be  paid  over  at  mid 
night  within  twenty  miles  of  Agua  Dulce. 
This  information  was  food  and  raiment  to 
the  Ranger. 

The  senora  of  Agua  Dulce  sent  a  servant 


236  CATTLE  BRANDS 

to  secrete  the  Ranger's  horses  in  a  near-by 
pasture,  and  with  saddles  hidden  inside  the 
house,  before  the  people  of  the  ranch  or  the 
sun  arose,  five  Rangers  were  sleeping  under 
the  roof  of  the  Casa  -primero. 

It  was  late  in  the  day  when  the  lieutenant 
awoke  to  find  Don  Ramon,  Jr.,  ready  to 
welcome  and  join  in  furnishing  any  details 
unknown  to  his  mother.  The  commercial  in 
stincts  of  the  young  man  sided  with  the  Ran 
gers,  but  the  mother  —  thank  God !  —  knew 
no  such  impulses  and  thought  of  nothing  save 
the  return  of  her  husband,  the  father  of  her 
brood.  The  officer  considered  only  duty — 
sentiment  being  an  unknown  quantity  to  him. 
He  assured  his  hostess  that  if  she  would  con 
fide  in  them,  her  husband  would  be  returned 
to  her  with  all  dispatch.  Concealing  such 
things  as  he  considered  advisable  from  both 
mother  and  son,  he  outlined  his  plans.  At  the 
appointed  time  and  place  the  money  should  be 
paid  over  and  the  compact  adhered  to  to  the 
letter.  He  reserved  to  himself  and  company, 
however,  to  furnish  any  red  light  necessary. 

An  hour  after  dark,  a  messenger,  Don  Ra 
mon,  Jr.,  and  five  Rangers  set  out  to  fulfill  all 
contracts  pending  and  understood.  The  aban 
doned  ranchita  in  the  monte  —  the  meeting 
point  —  had  been  at  one  time  a  stone  house 


THE  RANSOM  OF  DON  RAMON     237 

of  some  pretensions,  where  had  formerly  lived 
its  builder,  a  wealthy,  eccentric  recluse.  It 
had  in  previous  years,  however,  been  burned, 
so  that  now  only  crumbling  walls  remained, 
a  gloomy,  isolated,  though  picturesque  ruin, 
standing  in  an  opening  several  acres  in  ex 
tent,  while  trails,  once  in  use,  led  to  and 
from  it. 

When  the  party  arrived  within  two  miles  of 
the  meeting  point,  an  hour  in  advance  of  the 
appointed  time,  a  halt  was  called.  Under  the 
direction  of  the  lieutenant,  the  son  and  his 
companion  were  to  proceed  by  an  old  trail, 
forsaking  the  regular  pathway  leading  from 
Agua  Dulce  to  the  old  ranch.  The  Ranger 
squad  tied  their  horses  and  followed  a  re 
spectful  distance  behind,  near  enough,  how 
ever,  to  hear  in  case  any  guards  might  halt 
them.  They  were  carefully  cautioned  not  even 
to  let  Don  Ramon,  if  he  were  present,  know 
that  rescue  from  another  quarter  was  at  hand. 
When  the  two  sighted  the  ruin  they  noticed 
a  dim  light  within  the  walls.  Then,  without  a 
single  challenge,  they  dashed  up  to  the  old 
house,  amid  a  clatter  of  hoofs,  and  shouts  of 
welcome  from  the  bandits. 

The  messengers  were  unarmed,  and  once 
inside  the  house  were  made  prisoners,  ironed, 
and  ordered  into  a  corner,  where  crouched 


238  CATTLE  BRANDS 

Don  Ramon  Mora,  now  enfeebled  by  mental 
racking  and  physical  abuse.  The  meeting  of 
father  and  son  will  be  spared  the  reader,  yet 
in  the  young  man's  heart  was  a  hope  that  he 
dared  not  communicate. 

The  night  was  warm.  A  fire  flickered  in 
the  old  fireplace,  and  around  its  circle  gath 
ered  nine  bandits  to  count  and  gloat  over  the 
blood  money  of  their  victim,  as  a  miser  might 
over  his  bags  of  gold.  The  bottle  passed  freely 
round  the  circle,  and  with  toast  and  taunt  and 
jeer  the  counting  of  the  money  was  progress 
ing.  Suddenly,  and  with  as  little  warning  as  if 
they  had  dropped  down  from  among  the  stars, 
five  Texas  Rangers  sprang  through  windows 
and  doors,  and  without  a  word  a  flood  of  fire 
frothed  from  the  mouths  of  ten  six-shooters, 
hurling  death  into  the  circle  about  the  fire. 
There  was  no  cessation  of  the  rain  of  lead 
until  every  gun  was  emptied,  when  the  men 
sprang  back,  each  to  his  window  or  door, 
where  a  carbine,  carefully  left,  awaited  his 
hand  to  complete  the  work  of  death.  In  the 
few  moments  that  elapsed,  the  smoke  arose 
and  the  fire  burned  afresh,  revealing  the  ac 
curacy  of  their  aim.  As  they  reentered  to 
review  their  work,  two  of  the  bandits  were 
found  alive  and  untouched,  having  thrown 
themselves  in  a  corner  amid  the  confusion 


THE  RANSOM  OF  DON  RAMON     239 

of  smoke  in  the  onslaught.  Thus  they  were 
spared  the  fate  of  the  others,  though  the 
ghastly  sight  of  seven  of  their  number,  trans 
lated  from  life  into  death,  met  their  terrorized 
gaze.  Human  blood  streamed  across  the  once 
peaceful  hearth,  while  brains  bespattered  life- 
sized  figures  in  bas-relief  of  the  Virgin  Mary 
and  Christ  Child  which  adorned  the  broad  col 
umns  on  either  side  of  the  ample  fireplace. 
In  the  throes  of  death,  one  bandit  had  floun 
dered  about  until  his  hand  rested  in  the  fire, 
producing  a  sickening  smell  from  the  burning 
flesh. 

As  Don  Ramon  was  released,  he  stood  for  a 
few  moments  half  dazed,  looking  in  bewilder 
ment  at  the  awful  spectacle  before  him.  Then 
as  the  truth  gradually  dawned  upon  him, — 
that  this  sacrifice  of  blood  meant  liberty  to 
himself,  —  he  fell  upon  his  knees  among  the 
still  warm  bodies  of  his  tormentors,  his  face 
raised  to  the  Virgin  in  exultation  of  joy  and 
thanksgiving. 


XI 
THE  PASSING  OF   PEG-LEG 

IN  the  early  part  of  September,  '91,  the 
eastern  overland  express  on  the  Denver 
and  Rio  Grande  was  held  up  and  robbed 
at  Texas  Creek.  The  place  is  little  more 
than  a  watering-station  on  that  line,  but  it  was 
an  inviting  place  for  hold-ups. 

Surrounded  by  the  fastnesses  of  the  front 
range  of  the  Rockies,  Peg-Leg  Eldridge  and 
his  band  selected  this  lonely  station  as  best 
fitted  for  the  transaction  in  hand.  To  the 
southwest  lay  the  Sangre  de  Cristo  range,  in 
which  the  band  had  rendezvoused  and  planned 
this  robbery.  Farther  to  the  southwest  arose 
the  snow-capped  peaks  of  the  Continental  Di 
vide,  in  whose  silent  solitude  an  army  might 
have  taken  refuge  and  hidden. 

It  was  an  inviting  country  to  the  robber. 
These  mountains  offered  retreats  that  had 
never  known  the  tread  of  human  footsteps. 
Emboldened  by  the  thought  that  pursuit 
would  be  almost  a  matter  of  impossibility,  they 
laid  their  plans  and  executed  them  without  a 
single  hitch. 


THE  PASSING  OF   PEG-LEG    241 

About  ten  o'clock  at  night,  as  the  train 
slowed  up  as  usual  to  take  water,  the  engineer 
and  fireman  were  covered  by  two  of  the  rob 
bers.  The  other  two  —  there  were  only  four 
—  cut  the  express  car  from  the  train,  and  the 
engineer  and  fireman  were  ordered  to  decamp. 
The  robbers  ran  the  engine  and  express  car 
out  nearly  two  miles,  where,  by  the  aid  of 
dynamite,  they  made  short  work  of  a  through 
safe  that  the  messenger  could  not  open.  The 
express  company  concealed  the  amount  of 
money  lost  to  the  robbers,  but  smelters,  who 
were  aware  of  certain  retorts  in  transit  by  this 
train,  were  not  so  silent.  These  smelter  pro 
ducts  were  in  gold  retorts  of  such  a  size  that 
they  could  be  made  away  with  as  easily  as 
though  they  had  reached  the  mint  and  been 
coined. 

There  was  scarcely  any  excitement  among 
the  passengers,  so  quickly  was  it  over.  While 
the  robbery  was  in  progress  the  wires  from 
this  station  were  flashing  the  news  to  head 
quarters.  At  a  division  of  the  railroad  one 
hundred  and  fifty-six  miles  distant  from  the 
scene  of  the  robbery,  lived  United  States  Mar 
shal  Bob  Banks,  whose  success  in  pursuing 
criminals  was  not  bounded  by  the  State  in 
which  he  lived.  His  reputation  was  in  a  large 
measure  due  to  the  successful  use  of  blood- 


242  CATTLE  BRANDS 

hounds.  This  officer's  calling  compelled  him 
to  be  both  plainsman  and  mountaineer.  He 
had  the  well-deserved  reputation  of  being  as 
unrelenting  in  the  pursuit  of  criminals  as 
death  is  in  marking  its  victims. 

Within  half  an  hour  after  the  robbery  was 
reported  at  headquarters,  an  engine  had  cou 
pled  to  a  caboose  at  the  division  where  the 
marshal  lived.  He  was  equally  hasty.  To 
gather  his  arms  and  get  his  dogs  aboard  the 
caboose  required  but  a  few  moments'  time. 

Everything  ready,  they  pulled  out  with  a 
clear  track  to  their  destination.  Heavy  traffic 
in  coal  had  almost  ruined  the  road-bed,  but 
engine  and  caboose  flew  over  it  regardless  of 
its  condition.  Halfway  to  their  destination  the 
marshal  was  joined  by  several  officials,  both 
railway  and  express.  From  there  the  train 
turned  westward,  up  the  valley  of  the  Arkan 
sas.  Here  was  a  track  and  an  occasion  that 
gave  the  most  daring  engineer  license  to  throw 
the  throttle  wide  open. 

The  climax  of  this  night's  run  was  through 
the  Grand  Canon  of  the  Arkansas.  Into  this 
gash  in  the  earth's  surface  plunged  the  engineer, 
as  though  it  were  an  easy  stretch  of  down-grade 
prairie.  As  the  engine  rounded  turns,  the 
headlight  threw  its  rays  up  serried  columns 
of  granite  half  a  mile  high,  —  columns  that 


THE  PASSING  OF  PEG-LEG    243 

rear  their  height  in  grotesque  form  and  Gothic 
arch,  polished  by  the  waters  of  ages. 

As  the  officials  agreed,  after  a  full  discussion 
with  the  marshal  of  every  phase  and  possi 
bility  of  capture,  the  hope  of  this  night's  work 
and  the  punishment  of  the  robbers  rested  al 
most  entirely  on  three  dogs  lying  on  the  floor, 
and,  as  the  rocking  of  the  car  disturbed  them, 
growling  in  their  dreams.  In  their  helpless 
ness  to  cope  with  this  outrage,  they  turned  to 
these  dumb  animals  as  a  welcome  ally.  Under 
the  guidance  of  their  master  they  were  an  aid 
whose  value  he  well  understood.  Their  sense 
of  smell  was  more  reliable  than  the  sense  of 
seeing  in  man.  You  can  believe  the  dog  when 
you  doubt  your  own  eyes.  His  opinion  is 
unquestionably  correct. 

As  the  train  left  the  canon  it  was  but  a  short 
run  to  the  scene  of  the  depredation.  During 
the  night  the  few  people  who  resided  at  this 
station  were  kept  busy  getting  together  saddle- 
horses  for  the  officer's  posse.  This  was  not 
easily  done,  as  there  were  few  horses  at  the 
station,  while  the  horses  of  near-by  ranches 
were  turned  loose  in  the  open  range  for  the 
night.  However,  upon  the  arrival  of  the  train, 
Banks  and  the  express  people  found  mounts 
awaiting  them  to  carry  them  to  the  place  of 
the  hold-up. 


244  CATTLE  BRANDS 

After  the  robbers  had  finished  their  work 
during  the  fore  part  of  the  night,  the  train 
crew  went  out  and  brought  back  to  the  sta 
tion  the  engine  and  express  car.  The  engine 
was  unhurt,  but  the  express  car  was  badly 
shattered,  and  the  through  safe  was  ruined  by 
the  successive  charges  of  dynamite  that  were 
used  to  force  it  to  yield  up  its  treasure.  The 
local  safe  was  unharmed,  the  messenger  hav 
ing  opened  it  in  order  to  save  it  from  the  fate 
of  its  larger  and  stronger  brother.  The  train 
proceeded  on  its  way,  with  the  loss  of  a  few 
hours'  time  and  the  treasure  of  its  express. 

Day  was  breaking  in  the  east  as  the  posse 
reached  the  scene.  The  marshal  lost  no  time 
circling  about  until  the  trail  leaving  was  taken 
up.  Even  the  temporary  camp  of  the  robbers 
was  found  in  close  proximity  to  the  chosen  spot. 
The  experienced  eye  of  this  officer  soon  de 
termined  the  number  of  men,  though  they  led 
several  horses.  It  was  a  cool,  daring  act  of 
Peg-Leg  and  three  men.  Afterward,  when 
his  past  history  was  learned,  his  leadership  in 
this  raid  was  established. 

Peg-Leg  Eldridge  was  a  product  of  that 
unfortunate  era  succeeding  the  civil  war. 
During  that  strife  the  herds  of  the  southwest 
were  neglected  to  such  an  extent  that  thou 
sands  of  cattle  grew  to  maturity  without  ear- 


THE  PASSING   OF  PEG-LEG     245 

mark  or  brand  to  identify  their  owner.  A 
good  mount  of  horses,  a  rope  and  a  running- 
iron  in  the  hands  of  a  capable  man,  were  bet 
ter  than  capital.  The  good  old  days  when 
an  active  young  man  could  brand  annually 
fifteen  calves — all  better  than  yearlings — to 
every  cow  he  owned,  are  looked  back  to  to  this 
day,  from  cattle  king  to  the  humblest  of  the 
craft,  in  pleasant  reminiscence,  though  they 
will  come  no  more.  Eldridge  was  of  that 
time,  and  when  conditions  changed,  he  failed 
to  change  with  them.  This  was  the  reason  that, 
under  the  changed  condition  of  affairs,  he  fre 
quently  got  his  brand  on  some  other  man's 
calf.  This  resulted  in  his  losing  a  leg  from 
a  gunshot  at  the  hands  of  a  man  he  had  thus 
outraged.  Worse,  it  branded  him  for  all  time 
as  a  cattle  thief,  with  every  man's  hand  against 
him.  Thus  the  steps  that  led  up  to  this  Sep 
tember  night  were  easy,  natural,  and  gradual. 
This  child  of  circumstances,  a  born  plains 
man  like  the  Indian,  read  in  plain,  forest,  and 
mountain,  things  which  were  not  visible  to 
other  eyes.  The  stars  were  his  compass  by 
night,  the  heat  waves  of  the  plain  warned  him 
of  the  tempting  mirage,  while  the  cloud  on 
the  mountain's  peak  or  the  wind  in  the  pines 
which  sheltered  him  alike  spoke  to  him  and 
he  understood. 


246  CATTLE  BRANDS 

The  robbers'  trail  was  followed  but  a  few 
miles,  when  their  course  was  well  established. 
They  were  heading  into  the  Sangre  de  Cristo 
Mountains.  Several  hours  were  lost  here  by 
the  pursuing  party,  as  they  were  compelled  to 
await  the  arrival  of  a  number  of  pack  horses; 
so  when  the  trail  was  taken  up  in  earnest  they 
were  at  least  twelve  hours  behind  the  robbers. 

In  the  ascent  of  the  foot-hills  the  dogs  led 
the  posse,  six  in  number,  a  merry  chase.  As 
they  gradually  rose  to  higher  altitudes  the  trail 
of  the  robbers  was  more  compact  and  easy  to 
follow,  except  for  the  roughness  of  the  moun 
tain  slope.  Frequently  the  trail  was  but  a  sin 
gle  narrow  path.  Old  game  trails,  where  the 
elk  and  deer,  drifting  in  the  advance  of  winter, 
crossed  the  range,  had  been  followed  by  the 
robbers.  These  game  trails  were  certain  to 
lead  to  the  passes  in  the  range.  Thus,  by  the 
instinct  given  to  the  deer  and  elk  against  the 
winter's  storm,  the  humblest  of  His  creatures 
had  blazed  for  these  train  robbers  an  unerring 
pathway  to  the  mountain's  pass. 

Along  these  paths  the  trail  was  so  distinct 
that  the  dogs  were  an  unnecessary  adjunct 
to  the  pursuing  party.  These  hounds,  one  of 
which  was  a  veteran  in  the  service,  while  the 
other  two,  being  younger,  were  without  that 
practice  which  perfects,  showed  an  exuber- 


THE  PASSING  OF  PEG-LEG    247 

ance  of  energy  and  ambition  in  following  the 
trail.  The  ancestry  of  the  dogs  was  Russian. 
Hounds  of  this  breed  never  give  mouth,  thus 
warning  the  hunted  of  their  approach.  Man- 
hunting  is  exciting  sport.  The  possibility, 
though  the  trail  may  look  hours  old,  that  any 
turn  of  the  trail  may  disclose  the  fugitives, 
keeps  at  the  highest  tension  every  nerve  of 
the  pursuer. 

All  day  long  the  marshal  and  posse  climbed 
higher  and  higher  on  the  rugged  mountain 
side.  Night  came  on  as  they  reached  the 
narrow  plateau  that  formed  the  crest  of  the 
mountain,  on  which  they  found  several  small 
parks.  Here  they  made  the  first  halt  since  the 
start  in  the  morning.  The  necessity  of  resting 
their  saddle  stock  was  very  apparent  to  Banks, 
though  he  would  gladly  have  pushed  on.  The 
only  halt  he  could  expect  of  the  robbers  was 
to  save  their  own  horses,  and  he  must  do  the 
same.  Forcing  a  tired  horse  an  extra  hour  has 
left  many  an  amateur  rider  afoot.  He  real 
ized  this.  Knowing  the  necessity  of  being  well 
mounted,  the  robbers  had  no  doubt  splendid 
horses.  This  was  a  reasonable  supposition. 

Near  midnight  the  marshal  and  posse  set 
out  once  more  on  the  trail.  He  was  compelled 
to  take  it  afoot  now,  depending  on  his  favorite 
dog,  which  was  under  leash,  the  posse  follow- 


248  CATTLE   BRANDS 

ing  with  the  mounts.  The  dogs  led  them  sev 
eral  miles  southward  on  this  mountain  crest. 
Here  was  where  the  dogs  were  valuable.'  The 
robbers  had  traveled  in  some  places  an  entire 
mile  over  lava  beds,  not  leaving  as  much  as  a 
trace  which  the  eye  could  detect.  Having  the 
advantage  of  daylight,  the  robbers  selected  a 
rocky  cliff,  over  which  they  began  the  descent 
of  the  western  slope  of  this  range.  The  in 
genuity  displayed  by  them  to  throw  pursuit 
from  their  trail  marked  Peg-Leg  as  an  artist 
in  his  calling.  But  with  the  aid  of  dogs  and 
the  dampness  of  night,  their  trail  was  as  easily 
followed  as  though  it  had  been  made  in  snow. 
This  declivity  was  rough,  and  in  places 
every  one  was  compelled  to  dismount.  Pro 
gress  was  extremely  slow,  and  when  the  rising 
sun  tipped  the  peaks  of  the  Continental  Range, 
before  them  lay  the  beautiful  landscape  where 
the  Rio  Grande  in  a  hundred  mountain  streams 
has  her  fountain-head.  With  only  a  few  hours' 
rest  for  men  and  animals  during  the  day,  night 
fell  upon  them  before  they  had  reached  the 
mesa  at  the  foot-hills  on  the  western  slope. 
An  hour  before  nightfall  they  came  upon  the 
first  camp  or  halt  of  the  robbers.  They  had 
evidently  spent  but  a  short  time  here,  there 
being  no  indication  that  they  had  slept.  Crim 
inals  are  inured  to  all  kinds  of  hardship.  They 


THE  PASSING  OF   PEG-LEG     249 

have  been  known  to  go  for  days  without  sleep, 
while  smugglers,  well  mounted,  have  put  a 
hundred  miles  of  country  behind  them  in  a 
single  night. 

The  marshal  and  party  pushed  forward  dur 
ing  the  night,  the  country  being  more  favor 
able.  When  morning  came  they  had  covered 
many  a  mile,  and  it  was  believed  they  had 
made  time,  as  the  trail  seemed  freshen  There 
were  several  ranches  along  the  main  stream 
in  the  valley,  which  the  robbers  had  avoided 
with  well-studied  caution,  showing  that  they 
had  passed  through  in  the  daytime.  There  are 
several  lines  of  railroad  running  through  this 
valley  section.  These  they  crossed  at  points 
between  stations,  where  observation  would  be 
almost  impossible  either  by  day  or  night.  In 
quiries  at  ranches  failed  on  account  of  the  lack 
of  all  accurate  means  of  description.  The 
posse  was  maintaining  a  due  southwest  course 
that  was  carrying  them  into  the  fastnesses  of  the 
main  range  of  the  western  continent.  Another 
full  day  of  almost  constant  advance,  and  the 
trail  had  entered  the  undulating  hills  forming 
the  approach  of  this  second  range  of  moun 
tains.  Physical  exertion  was  beginning  to  tell 
on  the  animals,  and  they  were  compelled  to 
make  frequent  halts  in  the  ascent  of  this  range. 

The  fatigue  was  showing  in  the  two  younger 


250  CATTLE  BRANDS 

dogs.  Their  feet  had  been  cut  in  several  places1 
in  crossing  the  first  range  of  mountains.  Dur 
ing  the  past  nights  in  the  valley,  though  their 
master  was  keeping  a  sharp  lookout,  they 
encountered  several  places  where  sand-burrs 
were  plentiful.  These  burrs  in  the  tender  in 
ner  part  of  a  dog's  foot,  if  not  removed  at 
once,  soon  lame  it.  Many  times  had  the  poor 
creatures  lain  down,  licking  their  paws  in 
anguish.  On  examination  during  the  previous 
night,  their  feet  were  found  to  be  webbed 
with  this  burr.  Now,  on  climbing  this  second 
mountain,  they  began  to  show  the  lameness 
which  their  master  so  much  feared,  until  it 
was  almost  impossible  to  make  them  take  any 
interest  in  the  trail.  The  old  dog,  however, 
seemed  nothing  the  worse  for  his  work. 

On  reaching  the  first  small  park  near  the 
summit  of  this  range,  the  pursuers  were  so  ex 
hausted  that  they  lay  down  and  took  their  first 
sleep,  having  been  over  three  days  and  a  half 
on  the  trail.  The  marshal  himself  slept  sev 
eral  hours,  but  he  was  the  last  to  go  to  sleep 
and  the  first  to  awake.  Before  going  to  sleep, 
and  on  arising,  he  was  particular  to  bathe  the 
dogs'  feet.  The  nearest  approach  to  a  lini 
ment  that  he  possessed  was  a  lubricating  tube 
for  guns,  which  he  fortunately  had  with  him. 
This  afforded  relief. 


THE   PASSING  OF   PEG-LEG    251 

It  was  daybreak  when  the  pursuers  took 
up  the  trail.  The  plateau  on  the  crest  of  this 
range  was  in  places  several  miles  wide,  hav 
ing  a  luxuriant  growth  of  grass  upon  it.  The 
course  of  the  robbers  continued  to  the  south 
west.  The  pursuers  kept  this  plateau  for  sev 
eral  miles,  and  before  descending  the  western 
slope  of  the  range  an  abandoned  camp  was 
found,  where  the  pursued  had  evidently  made 
their  first  bunks.  Indications  of  where  horses 
had  been  picketed  for  hours,  and  where  both 
men  and  horses  had  slept  were  evident.  The 
trail  where  it  left  this  deserted  camp  was  in  no 
wise  encouraging  to  the  marshal,  as  it  looked 
at  least  thirty-six  hours  old.  As  the  pursuers 
began  the  descent,  they  could  see  below  them 
where  the  San  Juan  River  meanders  to  the 
west  until  her  waters,  mingling  with  others, 
find  their  outlet  into  the  Pacific.  It  was  a  trial 
of  incessant  toil  down  the  mountain  slope, 
wearisome  alike  to  man  and  beast.  Near  the 
foot-hill  of  this  mountain  they  were  rewarded 
by  finding  a  horse  which  the  robbers  had 
abandoned  on  account  of  an  accident.  He  was 
an  extremely  fine  horse,  but  so  lame  in  the 
shoulders,  apparently  owing  to  a  fall,  that  it 
was  impossible  to  move  him.  The  trail  of  the 
robbers  kept  in  the  foot-hills,  finally  doubling 
back  an  almost  due  east  course.  Now  and 


252  CATTLE   BRANDS 

then  ranches  were  visible  out  on  the  mesa,  but 
in  all  instances  theyVere  carefully  avoided  by 
the  pursued. 

Spending  a  night  in  these  hills,  the  posse 
prepared  to  make  an  early  start.  Here,  how 
ever,  they  met  their  first  serious  trouble.  Both 
of  the  younger  dogs  had  feet  so  badly  swollen 
that  it  was  impossible  to  make  them  take  any 
interest  in  the  trail.  After  doing  everything 
possible  for  them,  their  owner  sent  them  to  a 
ranch  which  was  in  sight  several  miles  below 
in  the  valley.  Several  hours  were  lost  to  the 
party  by  this  incident,  though  they  were  in  no 
wise  deterred  in  following  the  trail,  still  hav 
ing  the  veteran  dog.  Late  that  afternoon  they 
met  a  pastor,  who  gave  them  a  description 
of  the  robbers. 

"  Yesterday  morning,"  said  the  shepherd,  in 
broken  Spanish,  "  shortly  after  daybreak,  four 
men  rode  into  my  camp  and  asked  for  break 
fast.  I  gave  them  coffee,  but  as  I  had  no  meat 
in  my  quarters,  they  tried  to  buy  a  lamb,  which 
I  have  no  right  to  sell.  After  drinking  the 
coffee  they  tendered  me  money,  which  I  re 
fused.  On  leaving,  one  of  their  number  rode 
into  my  flock  and  killed  a  kid.  Taking  it  with 
him,  he  rode  away  with  the  others." 

A  good  description  of  the  robbers  was 
secured  from  this  simple  shepherd,  —  a  full 


THE  PASSING  OF  PEG-LEG    253 

description  of  men,  horses,  colors,  and  con 
dition  of  pack.  The  next  day  nothing  of  im 
portance  developed,  and  the  posse  hugged 
the  shelter  of  the  hills  skirting  the  moun 
tain  range,  crossing  into  New  Mexico.  It  was 
late  that  night  when  they  went  into  camp 
on  the  trail.  They  had  pushed  forward  with 
every  energy,  hoping  to  lessen  the  interven 
ing  distance  between  them  and  the  robbers. 
The  following  morning  on  awakening,  to  the 
surprise  and  mortification  of  everybody,  the 
old  dog  was  unable  to  stand  upon  his  feet. 
While  this  was  felt  to  be  a  serious  drawback, 
it  did  not  necessarily  check  the  chase. 

In  bringing  to  bay  over  thirty  criminals,  one 
of  whom  had  paid  the  penalty  of  his  crime 
on  the  gallows,  master  and  dog  had  heretofore 
been  an  invincible  team.  Old  age  and  physi 
cal  weakness  had  now  overtaken  the  dog  in 
an  important  chase,  and  the  sympathy  he  de 
served  was  not  withheld,  nor  was  he  deserted. 
Tenderly  as  a  mother  would  lift  a  sick  child, 
Banks  gathered  him  in  his  arms  and  lifted 
him  to  one  of  the  posse  on  his  horse.  To  the 
members  of  the  posse  it  was  a  touching  scene: 
they  remembered  him  but  a  few  months  be 
fore  pursuing  a  flying  criminal,  when  the  lat 
ter —  seeing  that  escape  was  impossible  and 
turning  to  draw  his  own  weapon  upon  the 


254  CATTLE  BRANDS 

officer,  whose  six-shooter  had  been  emptied 
at  the  fugitive,  but  who  with  drawn  knife  was 
ready  to  close  with  him  in  the  death  struggle 
—  immediately  threw  down  his  weapon  and 
pleaded  for  his  life. 

Yet  this  same  officer  could  not  keep  back 
the  tears  that  came  into  his  eyes  as  he  lifted 
this  dumb  comrade  of  other  victories  to  a 
horse.  With  an  earnest  oath  he  brushed  the 
incident  away  by  assuring  his  posse  that  unless 
the  earth  opened  and  swallowed  up  the  rob 
bers  they  could  not  escape.  A  few  hours  after 
taking  up  the  trail,  a  ranch  was  sighted  and 
the  dog  was  left,  the  instructions  of  the  Good 
Samaritan  being  repeated.  At  this  ranch  they 
succeeded  in  buying  two  fresh  horses,  which 
proved  a  valuable  addition  to  their  mounts. 

Now  it  became  a  hunt  of  man  by  man.  To 
an  experienced  trailer  like  the  marshal  there 
was  little  difficulty  in  keeping  the  trail.  That 
the  robbers  kept  to  the  outlying  country  was 
an  advantage.  Yet  the  latter  traveled  both 
night  and  day,  while  pursuit  must  of  necessity 
be  by  day  only.  With  the  fresh  horses  secured, 
they  covered  a  stretch  of  country  hardly  cred 
ible. 

During  the  day  they  found  a  place  where 
the  robbers  had  camped  for  at  least  a  full  day. 
A  trail  made  by  two  horses  had  left  this 


THE  PASSING   OF  PEG-LEG     255 

camp,  and  returned.  The  marshal  had  fol 
lowed  it  to  a  rather  pretentious  Mexican 
rancho,  where  there  was  a  small  store  kept. 
Here  a  second  description  of  the  two  men 
was  secured,  though  neither  one  was  Peg-Leg. 
He  was  so  indelibly  marked  that  he  was  crafty 
enough  to  keep  out  of  sight  of  so  public  a  place 
as  a  store.  These  two  had  tried  unsuccessfully 
to  buy  horses  at  this  rancho. 

The  next  morning  the  representative  of  the 
express  company  left  the  posse  to  report  pro 
gress.  He  was  enabled  to  give  such  an  exact 
description  of  the  robbers  that  the  company, 
through  their  detective  system,  were  not  long 
in  locating  the  leader.  The  marshal  and  posse 
pushed  on  with  the  same  unremitting  energy. 
The  trail  was  now  almost  due  east.  The  popu 
lation  of  the  country  was  principally  Mexican, 
and  even  Mexicans  the  robbers  avoided  as 
much  as  possible.  They  had,  however,  bought 
horses  at  several  ranches,  and  were  always 
liberal  in  the  use  of  money,  but  very  exacting 
in  regard  to  the  quality  of  horseflesh  they  pur 
chased  ;  the  best  was  none  too  good  for  them. 
They  passed  north  of  old  Santa  Fe  town,  and 
entering  a  station  on  the  line  of  railway  by  that 
name  late  at  night,  they  were  liberal  patrons 
of  the  gaming  tables  that  the  town  tolerated. 
The  next  morning  they  had  disappeared. 


256  CATTLE   BRANDS 

At  no  time  did  the  pursuers  come  within 
two  days  of  them.  This  was  owing  to  the  fact 
that  they  traveled  by  night  as  well  as  day.  At 
the  last-mentioned  point  messages  were  ex 
changed  with  the  express  company  with  little 
loss  of  time.  Banks  had  asked  that  certain 
points  on  the  railway  be  watched  in  the  hope 
of  capture  while  crossing  the  country,  but  the 
effort  was  barren  of  results.  In  following  the 
trail  the  marshal  had  recrossed  the  continua 
tion  of  the  first  range  of  mountains  which  they 
had  crossed  to  the  west  ten  days  before,  or 
the  morning  after  the  robbery,  three  hundred 
miles  southward.  There  was  nothing  difficult 
in  the  passage  of  this  range  of  mountains,  and 
now  before  them  stretched  the  endless  prairie 
to  the  eastward.  Here  Banks  seriously  felt  the 
loss  of  his  dogs.  This  was  a  country  that  they 
could  be  used  in  to  good  advantage.  It  would 
then  be  a  question  of  endurance  of  men  and 
horses.  As  it  was,  he  could  work  only  by  day. 
Two  lines  of  railway  were  yet  to  be  crossed 
if  the  band  held  its  course.  The  same  tactics 
were  resorted  to  as  formerly,  yet  this  vigilance 
and  precaution  availed  nothing,  as  Peg-Leg 
crossed  them  carefully  between  two  of  the 
watched  places.  Owing  to  his  occupation,  he 
knew  the  country  better  by  night  than  day. 

Banks  was  met  by  the  officials  of  the  express 


THE   PASSING  OF  PEG-LEG    257 

company  on  one  of  these  lines  of  railroad. 
The  exhaustive  amount  of  information  that 
they  had  been  able  to  collect  regarding  this 
interesting  man  with  the  wooden  leg  was  as 
tonishing.  From  out  of  the  abundance  of  the 
data  there  were  a  few  items  that  were  of  in 
terest  to  the  officer.  Several  of  Eldridge's 
haunts  when  not  actively  engaged  in  his  pro 
fession  were  located.  In  one  of  these  haunts 
was  a  woman,  and  toward  this  one  he  was 
heading,  though  it  was  many  a  weary  mile 
distant. 

At  the  marshal's  request  the  express  people 
had  brought  bloodhounds  with  them.  The 
dogs  proved  worthless,  and  the  second  day 
were  abandoned.  When  the  trail  crossed  the 
Gulf  Railway  the  robbers  were  three  days 
ahead.  The  posse  had  now  been  fourteen  days 
on  the  trail.  Banks  followed  them  one  day 
farther,  himself  alone,  leaving  his  tired  com 
panions  at  a  station  near  the  line  of  the  Pan 
handle  of  Texas.  This  extra  day's  ride  was 
to  satisfy  himself  that  the  robbers  were  mak 
ing  for  one  of  their  haunts.  They  kept,  as 
he  expected,  down  between  the  two  Cana 
dians. 

After  following  the  trail  until  he  was  thor 
oughly  satisfied  of  their  destination,  the  mar 
shal  retraced  his  steps  and  rejoined  his  posse. 


258  CATTLE  BRANDS 

The  first  train  carried  him  and  the  posse  back 
to  the  headquarters  of  the  express  company. 

Two  weeks  later,  at  a  country  store  in  the 
Chickasaw  Nation,  there  was  a  horse  race  of 
considerable  importance.  The  country  side 
were  gathered  to  witness  it.  The  owners  of 
the  horses  had  made  large  wagers  on  the  race. 
Outsiders  wagered  money  and  livestock  to 
a  large  amount.  There  were  a  number  of 
strangers  present,  which  was  nothing  unusual. 
As  the  race  was  being  run  and  every  eye  was 
centred  on  the  outcome,  a  stranger  present 
put  a  six-shooter  to  a  very  interested  specta 
tor's  ear,  and  informed  him  that  he  was  a  pri 
soner.  Another  stranger  did  the  same  thing  to 
another  spectator.  They  also  snapped  hand 
cuffs  on  both  of  them.  One  of  these  spectators 
had  a  peg-leg.  They  were  escorted  to  a  wait 
ing  rig,  and  when  they  alighted  from  it  were 
on  the  line  of  a  railroad  forty  miles  distant. 
One  of  these  strangers  was  a  United  States 
marshal,  who  for  the  past  month  had  been 
very  anxious  to  meet  these  same  gentlemen. 

Once  safe  from  the  rescue  of  friends  of  these 
robbers,  the  marshal  regaled  his  guest  with 
the  story  of  the  chase,  which  had  now  termi 
nated.  He  was  even  able  to  give  Eldridge  a 
good  part  of  his  history.  But  when  he  at 
tempted  to  draw  him  out  as  to  the  whereabouts 


THE  PASSING  OF  PEG-LEG    259 

of  the  other  two,  Peg  was  sullenly  ignorant  of 
anything.  They  were  never  captured,  having 
separated  before  reaching  the  haunt  of  Mr. 
Eldridge.  Eldridge  was  tried  in  a  Federal  court 
in  Colorado  and  convicted  of  train  robbery. 
He  went  over  the  road  for  a  term  of  years  far 
beyond  the  lease  of  his  natural  life.  He,  with 
the  companion  captured  at  the  same  time,  was 
taken  by  an  officer  of  the  court  to  Detroit  for 
confinement.  When  within  an  hour's  ride  of 
the  prison  —  his  living  grave  —  he  raised  his 
ironed  hands,  and  twisting  from  a  blue  flannel 
shirt  which  he  wore  a  large  pearl  button,  said 
to  the  officer  in  charge :  — 

"  Will  you  please  take  this  button  back  and 
give  it,  with  my  compliments,  to  that  human 
bloodhound,  and  say  to  him  that  I  'm  sorry 
that  I  did  n't  anticipate  meeting  him  ?  If  I  had, 
it  would  have  saved  you  this  trip  with  me. 
He  might  have  got  me,  but  I  would  n't  have 
needed  a  trial  when  he  did." 


XII 
IN   THE   HANDS   OF   HIS  FRIENDS 


f  ""^HERE  was  a  painting  at  the  World's 
Fair  at  Chicago  named  "  The  Reply," 
M  in  which  the  lines  of  two  contending 
armies  were  distinctly  outlined.  One  of  these 
armies  had  demanded  the  surrender  of  the 
other.  The  reply  was  being  written  by  a  little 
fellow,  surrounded  by  grim  veterans  of  war. 
He  was  not  even  a  soldier.  But  in  this  little 
fellow's  countenance  shone  a  supreme  con 
tempt  for  the  enemy's  demand.  His  patriotism 
beamed  out  as  plainly  as  did  that  of  the  officer 
dictating  to  him.  Physically  he  was  debarred 
from  being  a  soldier  ;  still  there  was  a  place 
where  he  could  be  useful. 

So  with  Little  Jack  Martin.  He  was  a 
cripple  and  could  not  ride,  but  he  could  cook. 
If  the  way  to  rule  men  is  through  the  stomach, 
Jack  was  a  general  who  never  knew  defeat. 
The  "J  +  H  "  camp,  where  he  presided  over 
the  kitchen,  was  noted  for  good  living.  Jack's 
domestic  tastes  followed  him  wherever  he 
went,  so  that  he  surrounded  himself  at  this 
camp  with  chickens,  and  a  few  cows  for  milk. 


IN   THE  HANDS   OF  FRIENDS    261 

During  the  spring  months,  when  the  boys  were 
away  on  the  various  round-ups,  he  planted  and 
raised  a  fine  garden.  Men  returning  from  a 
hard  month's  work  would  brace  themselves 
against  fried  chicken,  eggs,  milk,  and  fresh 
vegetables.  After  drinking  alkali  water  for  a 
month  and  living  out  of  tin  cans,  who  wouldn't 
love  Jack?  In  addition  to  his  garden,  he  al 
ways  raised  a  fine  patch  of  watermelons.  This 
camp  was  an  oasis  in  the  desert.  Every  man 
was  Jack's  friend,  and  an  enemy  was  an  un 
known  personage.  The  peculiarity  about  him, 
aside  from  his  deformity,  was  his  ability  to  act 
so  much  better  than  he  could  talk.  In  fact 
he  could  barely  express  his  simplest  wants  in 
words. 

Cripples  are  usually  cross,  irritable,  and  un 
pleasant  companions.  Jack  was  the  reverse. 
His  best  qualities  shone  their  brightest  when 
there  were  a  dozen  men  around  to  cook  for. 
When  they  ate  heartily  he  felt  he  was  useful. 
If  a  boy  was  sick,  Jack  could  make  a  broth, 
or  fix  a  cup  of  beef  tea  like  a  mother  or  sister. 
When  he  went  out  with  the  wagon  during 
beef-shipping  season,  a  pot  of  coffee  simmered 
over  the  fire  all  night  for  the  boys  on  night 
herd.  Men  going  or  returning  on  guard  liked 
to  eat.  The  bread  and  meat  left  over  from  the 
meals  of  the  day  were  always  left  convenient 


262  CATTLE  BRANDS 

for  the  boys.  It  was  the  many  little  things 
that  he  thought  of  which  made  him  such  a 
general  favorite  with  every  one. 

Little  Jack  was  middle-aged  when  the  pro 
clamation  of  the  President  opening  the  ori 
ginal  Oklahoma  was  issued.  This  land  was 
to  be  thrown  open  in  April.  It  was  not  a 
cow-country  then,  though  it  had  been  once. 
There  was  a  warning  in  this  that  the  Strip 
would  be  next.  The  dominion  of  the  cowman 
was  giving  way  to  the  homesteader.  One 
day  Jack  found  opportunity  to  take  Miller, 
our  foreman,  into  his  confidence.  They  had 
been  together  five  or  six  years.  Jack  had  cov 
eted  a  spot  in  the  section  which  was  to  be 
thrown  open,  and  he  asked  the  foreman  to 
help  him  get  it.  He  had  been  all  over  the 
country  when  it  was  part  of  the  range,  and  had 
picked  out  a  spot  on  Big  Turkey  Creek,  ten 
miles  south  of  the  Strip  line.  It  gradually 
passed  from  one  to  another  of  us  what  Jack 
wanted.  At  first  we  felt  blue  about  it,  but 
Miller,  who  could  see  farther  than  the  rest  of 
us,  dispelled  the  gloom  by  announcing  at  din 
ner,  "Jack  is  going  to  take  a  claim  if  this 
outfit  has  a  horse  in  it  and  a  man  to  ride  him. 
It  is  only  a  question  of  a  year  or  two  at  the 
farthest  until  the  rest  of  us  will  be  guiding  a 
white  mule  between  two  corn  rows,  and  glad 


IN   THE  HANDS  OF  FRIENDS    263 

of  the  chance.   If  Jack  goes  now,  he  will  have 
just  that  many  years  the  start  of  the  rest  of 


us." 


We  nerved  ourselves  and  tried  to  appear 
jolly  after  this  talk  of  the  foreman.  We  en 
tered  into  quite  a  discussion  as  to  which  horse 
would  be  the  best  to  make  the  ride  with.  The 
ranch  had  several  specially  good  saddle  ani 
mals.  In  chasing  gray  wolves  in  the  winter 
those  qualities  of  endurance  which  long  races 
developed  in  hunting  these  enemies  of  cattle, 
pointed  out  a  certain  coyote-colored  horse, 
whose  color  marks  and  "  Dead  Tree  "  brand 
indicated  that  he  was  of  Spanish  extraction. 
Intelligently  ridden  with  a  light  rider  he  was 
First  Choice  on  which  to  make  this  run.  That 
was  finally  agreed  to  by  all.  There  was  no 
trouble  selecting  the  rider  for  this  horse  with 
the  zebra  marks.  The  lightest  weight  was 
Billy  Edwards.  This  qualification  gave  him 
the  preference  over  us  all. 

Jack  described  the  spot  he  desired  to  claim 
by  an  old  branding-pen  which  had  been  built 
there  when  it  had  been  part  of  the  range. 
Billy  had  ironed  up  many  a  calf  in  those  same 
pens  himself.  "  Well,  Jack,"  said  Billy,  "  if 
this  outfit  don't  put  you  on  the  best  quarter 
section  around  that  old  corral,  you  '11  know 
that  they  have  throwed  off  on  you." 


264  CATTLE  BRANDS 

It  was  two  weeks  before  the  opening  day. 
The  coyote  horse  was  given  special  care  from 
this  time  forward.  He  feasted  on  corn,  while 
others  had  to  be  content  with  grass.  In  spite 
of  all  the  bravado  that  was  being  thrown  into 
these  preparations,  there  was  noticeable  a  deep 
undercurrent  of  regret.  Jack  was  going  from 
us.  Every  one  wanted  him  to  go,  still  these 
dissolving  ties  moved  the  simple  men  to  acts 
of  boyish  kindness.  Each  tried  to  outdo  the 
others,  in  the  matter  of  a  parting  present  to 
Jack.  He  could  have  robbed  us  then.  It  was 
as  bad  as  a  funeral.  Once  before  we  felt  simi 
larly  when  one  of  the  boys  died  at  camp. 
It  was  like  an  only  sister  leaving  the  family 
circle. 

Miller  seemed  to  enjoy  the  discomfiture  of 
the  rest  of  us.  This  creedless  old  Christian 
had  fine  strata  in  his  make-up.  He  and 
Jack  planned  continually  for  the  future.  In 
fact  they  didn't  live  in  the  present  like  the 
rest  of  us.  Two  days  before  the  opening,  we 
loaded  up  a  wagon  with  Jack's  effects.  Every 
man  but  the  newly  installed  cook  went  along. 
It  was  too  early  in  the  spring  for  work  to 
commence.  We  all  dubbed  Jack  a  boomer 
from  this  time  forward.  The  horse  so  much 
depended  on  was  led  behind  the  wagon. 

On  the  border  we  found  a  motley  crowd  of 


IN   THE  HANDS  OF  FRIENDS    265 

people.  Soldiers  had  gathered  them  into  camps 
along  the  line  to  prevent  "  sooners  "  from  en 
tering  before  the  appointed  time.  We  stopped 
in  a  camp  directly  north  of  the  claim  our 
little  boomer  wanted.  One  thing  was  certain, 
it  would  take  a  better  horse  than  ours  to  win 
the  claim  away  from  us.  No  sooner  could 
take  it.  That  and  other  things  were  what  all 
of  us  were  going  along  for. 

The  next  day  when  the  word  was  given  that 
made  the  land  public  domain,  Billy  was  in  line 
on  the  coyote.  He  held  his  place  to  the  front 
with  the  best  of  them.  After  the  first  few  miles, 
the  others  followed  the  valley  of  Turkey  Creek, 
but  he  maintained  his  course  like  wild  fowl, 
skirting  the  timber  which  covered  the  first 
range  of  hills  back  from  the  creek.  Jack  fol 
lowed  with  the  wagon,  while  the  rest  of  us 
rode  leisurely,  after  the  first  mile  or  so.  When 
we  saw  Edwards  bear  straight  ahead  from  the 
others,  we  argued  that  a  sooner  only  could 
beat  us  for  the  claim.  If  he  tried  to  out-hold 
us,  it  would  be  six  to  one,  as  we  noticed  the 
leaders  closely  when  we  slacked  up.  By  not 
following  the  valley,  Billy  would  cut  off  two 
miles.  Any  man  who  could  ride  twelve  miles 
to  the  coyote's  ten  with  Billy  Edwards  in  the 
saddle  was  welcome  to  the  earth.  That  was 
the  way  we  felt.  We  rode  together,  expecting 


266  CATTLE   BRANDS 

to  make  the  claim  three  quarters  of  an  hour 
behind  our  man.  When  near  enough  to  sight 
it,  we  could  see  Billy  and  another  horseman 
apparently  protesting  with  one  another.  A 
loud  yell  from  one  of  us  attracted  our  man's 
attention.  He  mounted  his  horse  and  rode  out 
and  met  us.  "  Well,  fellows,  it 's  the  expected 
that's  happened  this  time,"  said  he.  "Yes, 
there 's  a  sooner  on  it,  and  he  puts  up  a  fine 
bluff  of  having  ridden  from  the  line  ;  but  he 's 
a  liar  by  the  watch,  for  there  is  n't  a  wet  hair 
on  his  horse,  while  the  sweat  was  dripping 
from  the  fetlocks  of  this  one." 

"  If  you  are  satisfied  that  he  is  a  sooner," 
said  Miller,  "  he  has  to  go." 

"Well,  he  is  a  lying  sooner,"  said  Ed 
wards. 

We  reined  in  our  horses  and  held  a  short 
parley.  After  a  brief  discussion  of  the  situa 
tion,  Miller  said  to  us:  "You  boys  go  down 
to  him,  —  don't  hurt  him  or  get  hurt,  but 
make  out  that  you're  going  to  hang  him. 
Put  plenty  of  reality  into  it,  and  I  '11  come  in 
in  time  to  save  him  and  give  him  a  chance  to 
run  for  his  life." 

We  all  rode  down  towards  him,  Miller  bear 
ing  off  towards  the  right  of  the  old  corral,  — 
rode  out  over  the  claim  noticing  the  rich  soil 
thrown  up  by  the  mole-hills.  When  we  came 


IN   THE  HANDS  OF  FRIENDS    267 

up  to  our  sooner,  all  of  us  dismounted.  Ed 
wards  confronted  him  and  said,  "  Do  you 
contest  my  right  to  this  claim?" 

"  I  certainly  do,"  was  the  reply. 

"Well,  you  won't  do  so  long,"  said  Edwards. 
Quick  as  a  flash  Mouse  prodded  the  cold  steel 
muzzle  of  a  six-shooter  against  his  ear.  As 
the  sooner  turned  his  head  and  looked  into 
Mouse's  stern  countenance,  one  of  the  boys 
relieved  him  of  an  ugly  gun  and  knife  that 
dangled  from  his  belt.  "  Get  on  your  horse," 
said  Mouse,  emphasizing  his  demand  with  an 
oath,  while  the  muzzle  of  a  forty-five  in  his 
ear  made  the  order  undebatable.  Edwards 
took  the  horse  by  the  bits  and  started  for  a 
large  black-jack  tree  which  stood  near  by. 
Reaching  it,  Edwards  said,  "  Better  use 
Coon's  rope;  it's  manilla  and  stronger.  Can 
any  of  you  boys  tie  a  hangman's  knot?"  he 
inquired  when  the  rope  was  handed  him. 

"  Yes,  let  me,"  responded  several. 

"Which  limb  will  be  best?"  inquired 
Mouse. 

"  Take  this  horse  by  the  bits,"  said  Edwards 
to  one  of  the  boys,  "till  I  look."  He  coiled  the 
rope  sailor  fashion,  and  made  an  ineffectual 
attempt  to  throw  it  over  a  large  limb  which 
hung  out  like  a  yard-arm,but  the  small  branches 
intervening  defeated  his  throw.  While  he  was 


268  CATTLE  BRANDS 

coiling  the  rope  to  make  a  second  throw,  some 
one  said,  "  Mebby  so  he  'd  like  to  pray." 

"  What !  him  pray  ?  "  said  Edwards.  "  Any 
prayer  that  he  might  offer  could  n't  get  a  hear 
ing  amongst  men,  let  alone  above,  where  liars 
are  forbidden." 

"  Try  that  other  limb,"  said  Coon  to  Ed 
wards;  "there  's  not  so  much  brush  in  the  way; 
we  want  to  get  this  job  done  sometime  to 
day."  As  Edwards  made  a  successful  throw, 
he  said,  "  Bring  that  horse  directly  under 
neath."  At  this  moment  Miller  dashed  up 
and  demanded,  "What  in  hell  are  you  trying 
to  do?" 

"  This  sheep-thief  of  a  sooner  contests  my 
right  to  this  claim,"  snapped  Edwards,  "  and 
he  has  played  his  last  cards  on  this  earth. 
Lead  that  horse  under  here." 

"Just  one  moment,"  said  Miller.  "I  think 
I  know  this  man  —  think  he  worked  for  me 
once  in  New  Mexico."  The  sooner  looked 
at  Miller  appealingly,  his  face  blanched  to 
whiteness.  Miller  took  the  bridle  reins  out 
of  the  hands  of  the  boy  who  was  holding  the 
horse,  and  whispering  something  to  the  sooner 
said  to  us,  "  Are  you  all  ready?  " 

"Just  waiting  on  you,"  said  Edwards.  The 
sooner  gathered  up  the  reins.  Miller  turned 
the  horse  halfway  round  as  though  he  was 


IN   THE   HANDS   OF  FRIENDS     269 

going  to  lead  him  under  the  tree,  gave  him  a 
slap  in  the  flank  with  his  hand,  and  the  sooner, 
throwing  the  rowels  of  his  spurs  into  the  horse, 
shot  out  from  us  like  a  startled  deer.  We 
called  to  him  to  halt,  as  half  a  dozen  six- 
shooters  encouraged  him  to  go  by  opening  a 
fusillade  on  the  fleeing  horseman,  who  only  hit 
the  high  places  while  going.  Nor  did  we  let 
up  fogging  him  until  we  emptied  our  guns  and 
he  entered  the  timber.  There  was  plenty  of 
zeal  in  this  latter  part,  as  the  lead  must  have 
zipped  and  cried  near  enough  to  give  it  reality. 
Our  object  was  to  shoot  as  near  as  possible 
without  hitting. 

Other  horsemen  put  in  an  appearance  as  we 
were  unsaddling  and  preparing  to  camp,  for 
we  had  come  to  stay  a  week  if  necessary.  In 
about  an  hour  Jack  joined  us,  speechless  as 
usual,  his  face  wreathed  in  smiles.  The  first 
step  toward  a  home  he  could  call  his  own  had 
been  taken.  We  told  him  about  the  trouble 
we  had  had  with  the  sooner,  a  story  which  he 
seemed  to  question,  until  Miller  confirmed  it. 
We  put  up  a  tent  among  the  black-jacks,  as 
the  nights  were  cool,  and  were  soon  at  peace 
with  all  the  world. 

At  supper  that  evening  Edwards  said: 
"  When  the  old  settlers  hold  their  reunions  in 
the  next  generation,  they  '11  say,  '  Thirty  years 


270  CATTLE  BRANDS 

ago  Uncle  Jack  Martin  settled  over  there 
on  Big  Turkey,'  and  point  him  out  to  their 
children  as  one  of  the  pioneer  fathers." 

No  one  found  trouble  in  getting  to  sleep 
that  night,  and  the  next  day  arts  long  forgotten 
by  most  of  us  were  revived.  Some  plowed  up 
the  old  branding-pen  for  a  garden.  Others  cut 
logs  for  a  cabin.  Every  one  did  two  ordinary 
days'  work.  The  getting  of  the  logs  together 
was  the  hardest.  We  sawed  and  chopped  and 
hewed  for  dear  life.  The  first  few  days  Jack 
and  one  of  the  boys  planted  a  fine  big  garden. 
On  the  fourth  day  we  gave  up  the  tent,  as  the 
smoke  curled  upward  from  our  own  chimney, 
in  the  way  that  it  does  in  well-told  stories. 
The  last  night  we  spent  with  Jack  was  one 
long  to  be  remembered.  A  bright  fire  snapped 
and  crackled  in  the  ample  fireplace.  Every 
one  told  stories.  Several  of  the  boys  could 
sing  "The  Lone  Star  Cow-trail,"  while  "  Sam 
Bass  "  and  "  Bonnie  Black  Bess  "  were  given 
with  a  vim. 

The  next  morning  we  were  to  leave  for 
camp.  One  of  the  boys  who  would  work  for 
us  that  summer,  but  whose  name  was  not  on 
the  pay-roll  until  the  round-up,  stayed  with 
Jack.  We  all  went  home  feeling  fine,  and 
leaving  Jack  happy  as  a  bird  in  his  new  pos 
session.  As  we  were  saddling  up  to  leave, 


IN   THE  HANDS  OF   FRIENDS     271 

Miller  said  to  Jack,  "Now  if  you're  any 
good,  you  '11  delude  some  girl  to  keep  house 
for  you  'twixt  now  and  fall.  Remember  what 
the  Holy  Book  says  about  it  being  hard  luck 
for  man  to  be  alone.  You  notice  all  your 
boomer  neighbors  have  wives.  That's  a  hint 
to  you  to  do  likewise." 

We  were  on  the  point  of  mounting,  when 
the  coyote  horse  began  to  act  up  in  great 
shape.  Some  one  said  to  Edwards,  "Loosen 
your  cinches !  "  "  Oh,  it 's  nothing  but  the 
corn  he  's  been  eating  and  a  few  days'  rest," 
said  Miller.  "  He  's  just  running  a  little  bluff 
on  Billy."  As  Edwards  went  to  put  his  foot 
in  the  stirrup  a  second  time,  the  coyote  reared 
like  a  circus  horse.  "Now  look  here,  colty," 
said  Billy,  speaking  to  the  horse,  "  my  daddy 
rode  with  Old  John  Morgan,  the  Confederate 
cavalry  raider,  and  he  'd  be  ashamed  of  any 
boy  he  ever  raised  that  could  n't  ride  a  bad 
horse  like  you.  You  're  plum  foolish  to  act 
this  way.  Do  you  think  I  '11  walk  and  lead  you 
home  ?  "  He  led  him  out  a  few  rods  from  the 
others  and  mounted  him  without  any  trouble. 
"  He  just  wants  to  show  Jack  how  it  affects  a 
cow-horse  to  graze  a  few  days  on  a  boomer's 
claim, — that's  all,"  said  Edwards,  when  he 
joined  us. 

"  Now,  Jack,"  said  Miller,  as  a  final  parting, 


272  CATTLE  BRANDS 

"  if  you  want  a  cow,  I  '11  send  one  down,  or  if 
you  need  anything,  let  us  know  and  we'll  come 
a-running.  It 's  a  bad  example  you  've  set  us 
to  go  booming  this  way,  but  we  want  to  make 
a  howling  success  out  of  you,  so  we  can  visit 
you  next  winter.  And  mind  what  I  told  you 
>  about  getting  married,"  he  called  back  as  he 
rode  away. 

We  reached  camp  by  late  noon.  Miller  kept 
up  his  talk  about  what  a  fine  move  Jack  had 
made  ;  said  that  we  must  get  him  a  stray  beef 
for  his  next  winter's  meat ;  kept  figuring  con 
stantly  what  else  he  could  do  for  Jack.  "  You 
come  around  in  a  few  years  and  you  '11  find 
him  as  cosy  as  a  coon,  and  better  off  than  any 
of  us,"  said  Miller,  when  we  were  talking 
about  his  farming.  "  I  Ve  slept  under  wet  blan 
kets  with  him,  and  watched  him  kindle  a  fire 
in  the  snow,  too  often  not  to  know  what  he  's 
made  of.  There 's  good  stuff  in  that  little 
rascal." 

About  the  ranch  it  seemed  lonesome  without 
Jack.  It  was  like  coming  home  from  school 
when  we  were  kids  and  finding  mother  gone 
to  the  neighbor's.  We  always  liked  to  find 
her  at  home.  We  busied  ourselves  repairing 
fences,  putting  in  flood-gates  on  the  river,  do 
ing  anything  to  keep  away  from  camp.  Miller 
himself  went  back  to  see  Jack  within  ten  days, 


IN   THE   HANDS   OF   FRIENDS     273 

remaining  a  week.  None  of  us  stayed  at  the 
home  ranch  any  more  than  we  could  help.  We 
visited  other  camps  on  hatched  excuses,  until 
the  home  round-ups  began.  When  any  one 
else  asked  us  about  Jack,  we  would  blow 
about  what  a  fine  claim  he  had,  and  what  a 
boost  we  had  given  him.  When  we  buckled 
down  to  the  summer's  work  the  gloom  grad 
ually  left  us.  There  were  men  to  be  sent  on 
the  eastern,  western,  and  middle  divisions  of 
the  general  round-up  of  the  Strip.  Two  men 
were  sent  south  into  the  Cheyenne  country  to 
catch  anything  that  had  winter-drifted.  Our 
range  lay  in  the  middle  division.  Miller  and 
one  man  looked  after  it  on  the  general  round 
up. 

It  was  a  busy  year  with  us.  Our  range  was 
full  stocked,  and  by  early  fall  was  rich  with 
fat  cattle.  We  lived  with  the  wagon  after 
the  shipping  season  commenced.  Then  we 
missed  Jack,  although  the  new  cook  did  the 
best  he  knew  how.  Train  after  train  went 
out  of  our  pasture,  yet  the  cattle  were  never 
missed.  We  never  went  to  camp  now;  only 
the  wagon  went  in  after  supplies,  though  we 
often  came  within  sight  of  the  stabling  and 
corrals  in  our  work. 

One  day,  late  in  the  season,  we  were  get 
ting  out  a  train  load  of  "Barb  Wire"  cattle, 


274  CATTLE   BRANDS 

when  who  should  come  toddling  along  on  a 
plow  nag  but  Jack  himself.  Busy  as  we  were, 
he  held  quite  a  levee,  though  he  did  n't  give 
down  much  news,  nor  have  anything  to  say 
about  himself  or  the  crops.  That  night  at 
camp,  while  the  rest  of  us  were  arranging  the 
guards  for  the  night,  Miller  and  Jack  prowled 
off  in  an  opposite  direction  from  the  beef  herd, 
possibly  half  a  mile,  and  afoot,  too.  We 
could  all  see  that  something  was  working. 
Some  trouble  was  bothering  Jack,  and  he  had 
come  to  a  friend  in  need,  so  we  thought. 
They  did  not  come  back  to  camp  until  the 
moon  was  up  and  the  second  guard  had  gone 
out  to  relieve  the  first.  When  they  came 
back  not  a  word  was  spoken.  They  unrolled 
Miller's  bed  and  slept  together. 

The  next  morning  as  Jack  was  leaving  us 
to  return  to  his  claim,  we  overheard  him  say 
to  Miller, "  I  '11  write  you."  As  he  faded  from 
our  sight,  Miller  smiled  to  himself,  as  though 
he  was  tickled  about  something.  Finally 
Billy  Edwards  brought  things  to  a  head  by 
asking  bluntly,  "What's  up  with  Jack?  We 
want  to  know." 

"  Oh,  it 's  too  good,"  said  Miller.  "  If  that 
little  game-legged  rooster  has  n't  gone  and 
deluded  some  girl  back  in  the  State  into 
marrying  him,  Pm  a  horse-thief.  You  fellows 


IN   THE  HANDS  OF  FRIENDS     275 

are  all  in  the  play,  too.  Came  here  special  to 
see  when  we  could  best  get  away.  Wants 
every  one  of  us  to  come.  He's  built  another 
end  to  his  house,  double  log  style,  floored  both 
rooms  and  the  middle.  Says  he  will  have  two 
fiddlers,  and  promises  us  the  hog  killingest 
time  of  our  lives.  I've  accepted  the  invita 
tion  on  behalf  of  the  'J  +  H's'  without  con 
sulting  any  one." 

"  But  supposing  we  are  busy  when  it  takes 
place,"  said  Mouse,  "then  what?" 

"But  we  won't  be,"  answered  Miller.  "It 
is  n't  every  day  that  we  have  a  chance  at  a 
wedding  in  our  little  family,  and  when  we 
get  the  word,  this  outfit  quits  then  and  there. 
Ordinary  callings  in  life,  like  cattle  matters, 
must  go  to  the  rear  until  important  things 
are  attended  to.  Every  man  is  expected  to 
don  his  best  togs,  and  dance  to  the  centre 
on  the  word.  If  it  takes  a  week  to  turn  the 
trick  properly,  good  enough.  Jack  and  his 
bride  must  have  a  blow-out  right.  This  out 
fit  must  do  themselves  proud.  It  will  be  our 
night  to  howl,  and  every  man  will  be  a  wooly 
wolf." 

We  loaded  the  beeves  out  the  next  day,  go 
ing  back  after  two  trains  of  "  Turkey  Track  " 
cattle.  While  we  were  getting  these  out,  Mil 
ler  cut  out  two  strays  and  a  cow  or  two,  and 


276  CATTLE  BRANDS 

sent  them  to  the  horse  pasture  at  the  home 
camp.  It  was  getting  late  in  the  fall,  and  we 
figured  that  a  few  more  shipments  would  end 
it.  Miller  told  the  owners  to  load  out  what 
they  wanted  while  the  weather  was  fit,  as 
our  saddle  horses  were  getting  worn  out  fast. 
As  we  were  loading  out  the  last  shipment  of 
mixed  cattle  of  our  own,  the  letter  came  to 
Miller.  Jack  would  return  with  his  bride  on 
a  date  only  two  days  off,  and  the  festivities 
were  set  for  one  day  later.  We  pulled  into 
headquarters  that  night,  the  first  time  in  six 
weeks,  and  turned  everything  loose.  The 
next  morning  we  overhauled  our  Sunday 
bests,  and  worried  around  trying  to  pick  out 
something  for  a  wedding  present. 

Miller  gave  the  happy  pair  a  little  "  Flower 
Pot "  cow,  which  he  had  rustled  in  the  Chey 
enne  country  on  the  round-up  a  few  years  be 
fore.  Edwards  presented  him  with  a  log  chain 
that  a  bone-picker  had  lost  in  our  pasture. 
Mouse  gave  Jack  a  four-tined  fork  which  the 
hay  outfit  had  forgotten  when  they  left.  Coon 
Floyd's  compliments  went  with  five  cow-bells, 
which  we  always  thought  he  rustled  from  a 
boomer's  wagon  that  broke  down  over  on  the 
Reno  trail.  It  bothered  some  of  us  to  rustle 
something  for  a  present,  for  you  know  we 
couldn't  buy  anything.  We  managed  to  get 


IN  THE  HANDS  OF  FRIENDS    277 

some  deer's  antlers,  a  gray  wolf's  skin  for  the 
bride's  tootsies,  and  several  colored  sheep 
skins,  which  we  had  bought  from  a  Mexican 
horse  herd  going  up  the  trail  that  spring.  We 
killed  a  nice  fat  little  beef,  the  evening  before 
we  started,  hanging  it  out  over  night  to 
harden.  None  of  the  boys  knew  the  brand;  in 
fact,  it 's  bad  taste  to  remember  the  brand  on 
anything  you  've  beefed.  No  one  troubles 
himself  to  notice  it  carefully.  That  night  a 
messenger  brought  a  letter  to  Miller,  ordering 
him  to  ship  out  the  remnant  of  "Diamond  Tail" 
cattle  as  soon  as  possible.  They  belonged  to 
a  northwest  Texas  outfit,  and  we  were  matur 
ing  them.  The  messenger  stayed  all  night, 
and  in  the  morning  asked,  "  Shall  I  order 
cars  for  you  ?  " 

"  No,  I  have  a  few  other  things  to  attend  to 
first,"  answered  Miller. 

We  took  the  wagon  with  us  to  carry  our 
bedding  and  the  other  plunder,  driving  along 
with  us  a  cow  and  a  calf  of  Jack's,  the  little 
"  Flower  Pot  "  cow,  and  a  beef.  Our  outfit 
reached  Jack's  house  by  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon.  The  first  thing  was  to  be  intro 
duced  to  the  bride.  Jack  did  the  honors  him 
self,  presenting  each  one  of  us,  and  seemed 
just  as  proud  as  a  little  boy  with  new  boots. 
Then  we  were  given  introductions  to  several 


278  CATTLE  BRANDS 

good-looking  neighbor  girls.  We  began  to 
feel  our  own  inferiority. 

While  we  were  hanging  up  the  quarters  of 
beef  on  some  pegs  on  the  north  side  of  the 
cabin,  Edwards  said,  whispering,  "Jack  must 
have  pictured  this  claim  mighty  hifalutin  to 
that  gal,  for  she's  a  way  up  good-looker. 
Another  thing,  watch  me  build  to  the  one  in 
side  with  the  black  eyes.  I  claimed  her  first, 
remember.  As  soon  as  we  get  this  beef  hung 
up  I  'm  going  in  and  sidle  up  to  her." 

"  We  won't  differ  with  you  on  that  point," 
remarked  Mouse,  "  but  if  she  takes  any  special 
shine  to  a  runt  like  you,  when  there 's  boys 
like  the  rest  of  us,  standing  around,  all  I  Ve 
got  to  say  is,  her  tastes  must  be  a  heap  sight 
sorry  and  depraved.  I  expect  to  dance  with 
the  bride  —  in  the  head  set  —  a  whirl  or  two 
myself." 

"  If  I  'd  only  thought,"  chimed  in  Coon, 
"  I  'd  sent  up  to  the  State  and  got  me  a  white 
shirt  and  a  standing  collar  and  a  red  necktie. 
You  galoots  out-hold  me  on  togs.  But  where 
I  was  raised,  back  down  in  Palo  Pinto  County, 
Texas,  I  was  some  punkins  as  a  ladies'  man 
myself — you  hear  me." 

"Oh,  you  look  all  right,"  said  Edwards. 
"  You  would  look  all  right  with  only  a  cotton 
string  around  your  neck." 


IN    THE   HANDS   OF   FRIENDS    279 

After  tending  to  our  horses,  we  all  went 
into  the  house.  There  sat  Miller  talking  to 
the  bride  just  as  if  he  had  known  her  always, 
with  Jack  standing  with  his  back  to  the  fire, 
grinning  like  a  cat  eating  paste.  The  neigh 
bor  girls  fell  to  getting  supper,  and  our  cook 
turned  to  and  helped.  We  managed  to  get 
fairly  well  acquainted  with  the  company  by 
the  time  the  meal  was  over.  The  fiddlers  came 
early,  in  fact,  dined  with  us.  Jack  said  if  there 
were  enough  girls,  we  could  run  three  sets, 
and  he  thought  there  would  be,  as  he  had 
asked  every  one  both  sides  of  the  creek  for 
five  miles.  The  beds  were  taken  down  and 
stowed  away,  as  there  would  be  no  use  for 
them  that  night. 

The  company  came  early.  Most  of  the 
young  fellows  brought  their  best  girls  seated 
behind  them  on  saddle  horses.  This  manner 
gave  the  girl  a  chance  to  show  her  trustful, 
clinging  nature.  A  horse  that  would  carry 
double  was  a  prize  animal.  In  settling  up  a 
new  country,  primitive  methods  crop  out  as 
a  matter  of  necessity. 

Ben  Thorn,  an  old-timer  in  the  Strip,  called 
off.  While  the  company  was  gathering,  the 
fiddlers  began  to  tune  up,  which  sent  a  thrill 
through  us.  When  Ben  gave  the  word,  "  Se 
cure  your  pardners  for  the  first  quadrille," 


28o  CATTLE   BRANDS 

Miller  led  out  the  bride  to  the  first  position 
in  the  best  room,  Jack's  short  leg  barring  him 
as  a  participant.  This  was  the  signal  for  the 
rest  of  us,  and  we  fell  in  promptly.  The  fid 
dles  struck  up  "  Hounds  in  the  Woods,"  the 
prompter's  voice  rang  out  "  Honors  to  your 
pardner,"  and  the  dance  was  on. 

Edwards  close-herded  the  black-eyed  girl 
till  supper  time.  Not  a  one  of  us  got  a  dance 
with  her  even.  Mouse  admitted  next  day,  as 
we  rode  home,  that  he  squeezed  her  hand 
several  times  in  the  grand  right  and  left,  just 
to  show  her  that  she  had  other  admirers,  that 
she  need  n't  throw  herself  away  on  any  one 
fellow,  but  it  was  no  go.  After  supper  Billy 
corralled  her  in  a  corner,  she  seeming  willing, 
and  stuck  to  her  until  her  brother  took  her 
home  nigh  daylight. 

Jack  got  us  boys  pardners  for  every  dance. 
He  proved  himself  clean  strain  that  night,  the 
whitest  little  Injun  on  the  reservation.  We 
knocked  off  dancing  about  midnight  and  had 
supper,  —  good  coffee  with  no  end  of  way-up 
fine  chuck.  We  ate  as  we  danced,  heartily. 
Supper  over,  the  dance  went  on  full  blast. 
About  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  wire 
edge  was  well  worn  off  the  revelers,  and  they 
showed  signs  of  weariness.  Miller,  noticing  it, 
ordered  the  Indian  war-dance  as  given  by  the 


IN   THE  HANDS  OF  FRIENDS    281 

Cheyennes.  That  aroused  every  one  and  filled 
the  sets  instantly.  The  fiddlers  caught  the  in 
spiration  and  struck  into  "  Sift  the  Meal  and 
save  the  Bran."  In  every  grand  right  and  left, 
we  ki-yied  as  we  had  witnessed  Lo  in  the 
dance  on  festive  occasions.  At  the  end  of  every 
change,  we  gave  a  war-whoop,  some  of  the 
girls  joining  in,  that  would  have  put  to  shame 
any  son  of  the  Cheyennes. 

It  was  daybreak  when  the  dance  ended 
and  the  guests  departed.  Though  we  had 
brought  our  blankets  with  us,  no  one  thought 
of  sleeping.  Our  cook  and  one  of  the  girls  got 
breakfast.  The  bride  offered  to  help,  but  we 
wouldn't  let  her  turn  her  hand.  At  break 
fast  we  discussed  the  incidents  of  the  night 
previous,  and  we  all  felt  that  we  had  done  the 
occasion  justice. 


XIII 
A  QUESTION  OF  POSSESSION 

ALONG  in  the  8o's  there  occurred  a 
question  of  possession  in  regard  to 
a  brand  of  horses,  numbering  nearly 
two  hundred  head.  Courts  had  figured  in 
former  matters,  but  at  this  time  they  were 
not  appealed  to,  owing  to  the  circumstances. 
This  incident  occurred  on  leased  Indian  lands 
unprovided  with  civil  courts,  —  in  a  judicial 
sense,  "No-Man's-Land."  At  this  time  it 
seemed  that  might  graced  the  woolsack, 
while  on  one  side  Judge  Colt  cited  his  au 
thority,  only  to  be  reversed  by  Judge  Parker, 
breech-loader,  short-barreled,  a  full-choke  ten 
bore.  The  clash  of  opinions  between  these 
two  eminent  western  authorities  was  short, 
determined,  and  to  the  point. 

A  man  named  Gray  had  settled  in  one  of 
the  northwest  counties  in  Texas  while  it 
was  yet  the  frontier,  and  by  industry  and 
economy  of  himself  and  family  had  estab 
lished  a  comfortable  home.  As  a  ranchman 
he  had  raised  the  brand  of  horses  in  question. 
The  history  of  this  man  is  somewhat  ob- 


A  QUESTION   OF   POSSESSION     283 

scured  before  his  coming  to  Texas.  But  it 
was  known  and  admitted  that  he  was  a  bank 
rupt,  on  account  of  surety  debts  which  he 
was  compelled  to  pay  for  friends  in  his  former 
home  in  Kentucky.  Many  a  good  man  had 
made  similar  mistakes  before  him.  His  neigh 
bors  spoke  well  of  him  in  Texas,  and  he  was 
looked  upon  as  a  good  citizen  in  general. 

Ten  years  of  privation  and  hardship,  in 
their  new  home,  had  been  met  and  overcome, 
and  now  he  could  see  a  ray  of  hope  for  the 
better.  The  little  prosperity  which  was  be 
ginning  to  dawn  upon  himself  and  family  met 
with  a  sudden  shock,  in  the  form  of  an  old 
judgment,  which  he  always  contended  his  at 
torneys  had  paid.  In  some  manner  this  judg 
ment  was  revived,  transferred  to  the  jurisdic 
tion  of  his  district,  and  an  execution  issued 
against  his  property.  Sheriff  Ninde  of  this 
county  was  not  as  wise  as  he  should  have 
been.  When  the  execution  was  placed  in  his 
hands,  he  began  to  look  about  for  property  to 
satisfy  the  judgment.  The  exemption  laws 
allowed  only  a  certain  number  of  gentle 
horses,  and  as  any  class  of  range  horses  had 
a  cash  value  then,  this  brand  of  horses  was 
levied  on  to  satisfy  the  judgment. 

The  range  on  which  these  horses  were  run 
ning  was  at  this  time  an  open  one,  and  the 


284  CATTLE   BRANDS 

sheriff  either  relied  on  his  reputation  as  a  bad 
man,  or  probably  did  not  know  any  better. 
The  question  of  possession  did  not  bother  him. 
Still  this  stock  was  as  liable  to  range  in  one 
county  as  another.  There  is  one  thing  quite 
evident:  the  sheriff  had  overlooked  the  na 
ture  of  this  man  Gray,  for  he  was  no  weakling, 
inclined  to  sit  down  and  cry.  It  was  thought 
that  legal  advice  caused  him  to  take  the  step 
he  did,  and  it  may  be  admitted,  with  no  de 
gree  of  shame,  that  advice  was  often  given 
on  lines  of  justice  if  not  of  law,  in  the  Lone 
Star  State.  There  was  a  time  when  the  de 
cisions  of  Judge  Lynch  in  that  State  had  the 
hearty  approval  of  good  men.  Anyhow,  Gray 
got  a  few  of  his  friends  together,  gathered 
his  horses  without  attracting  attention,  and 
within  a  day's  drive  crossed  into  the  Indian 
Territory,  where  he  could  defy  all  the  sheriffs 
in  Texas. 

When  this  cold  fact  first  dawned  on  Sher 
iff  Ninde,  he  could  hardly  control  himself. 
With  this  brand  of  horses  five  or  six  days 
ahead  of  him  he  became  worried.  The  effron 
tery  of  any  man  to  deny  his  authority — the 
authority  of  a  duly  elected  sheriff  —  was  a  re 
flection  on  his  record.  His  bondsmen  began 
to  inquire  into  the  situation;  in  case  the  pro 
perty  could  not  be  recovered,  were  they  liable 


A  QUESTION   OF  POSSESSION     285 

as  bondsmen?  Things  looked  bad  for  the 
sheriff.  * 

The  local  papers  in  supporting  his  candi 
dacy  for  this  office  had  often  spoken  of  him 
and  his  chief  deputy  as  human  bloodhounds, 
—  a  terror  to  evil  doers.  Their  election,  they 
maintained,  meant  a  strict  enforcement  of  the 
laws,  and  assured  the  community  that  a  bet 
ter  era  would  dawn  in  favor  of  peace  and 
security  of  life  and  property.  Ninde  was  re 
sourceful  if  anything.  He  would  overtake 
those  horses,  overpower  the  men  if  necessary, 
and  bring  back  to  his  own  bailiwick  that  brand 
of  horse-stock.  At  least,  that  was  his  plan.  Of 
course  Gray  might  object,  but  that  would  be 
a  secondary  matter.  Sheriff  Ninde  would  take 
time  to  do  this.  Having  made  one  mistake,  he 
would  make  another  to  right  it. 

Gray  had  a  brother  living  in  one  of  the  bor 
der  towns  of  Kansas,  and  it  was  thought  he 
would  head  for  this  place.  Should  he  take  the 
horses  into  the  State,  all  the  better,  as  they 
could  invoke  the  courts  of  another  State  and 
get  other  sheriffs  to  help. 

Sixty  years  of  experience  with  an  unchari 
table  world  had  made  Gray  distrustful  of  his 
fellow  man,  though  he  did  not  wish  to  be  so. 
So  when  he  reached  his  brother  in  Kansas 
without  molestation,  he  exercised  caution 


286  '  CATTLE   BRANDS 

enough  to  leave  the  herd  of  horses  in  the  ter 
ritory.  The  courts  of  this  neutral  strip  were 
Federal,  and  located  at  points  in  adjoining 
States,  but  there  was  no  appeal  to  them  in 
civil  cases.  United  States  marshals  looked 
after  the  violators  of  law  against  the  govern 
ment. 

Sheriff  Ninde  sent  his  deputy  to  do  the 
Sherlock  act  for  him  as  soon  as  the  horses 
were  located.  This  the  deputy  had  no  trouble 
in  doing,  as  this  sized  bunch  of  horses  could 
not  well  be  hidden,  nor  was  there  any  desire 
on  the  part  of  Gray  to  conceal  them. 

The  horses  were  kept  under  herd  day  and 
night  in  a  near-by  pasture.  Gray  usually 
herded  by  day,  and  two  young  men,  one  his 
son,  herded  by  night.  Things  went  on  this 
way  for  a  month.  In  the  mean  time  the  dep 
uty  had  reported  to  the  sheriff,  who  came  on 
to  personally  supervise  the  undertaking.  Gray 
was  on  the  lookout,  and  was  aware  of  the 
deputy's  presence.  All  he  could  do  was  to  put 
an  extra  man  on  herd  at  night,  arm  his  men 
well,  and  await  results. 

The  deputy  secretly  engaged  seven  or  eight 
bad  men  of  the  long-haired  variety,  such  as  in 
the  early  days  usually  graced  the  frontier  towns 
with  their  presence.  This  brand  of  human 
cattle  were  not  the  disturbing  element  on  the 


A  QUESTION    OF   POSSESSION     287 

border  line  of  civilization  that  writers  of  that 
period  depicted,  nor  the  authors  of  the  blood 
curdling  drama  portrayed.  The  average  busy 
citizen  paid  little  attention  to  them,  consider 
ing  them  more  ornamental  than  useful.  But 
this  was  about  the  stripe  that  was  wanted  and 
could  be  secured  for  the  work  in  hand.  A 
good  big  bluff  was  considered  sufficient  for 
the  end  in  view.  This  crowd  was  mounted, 
armed  to  the  teeth,  and  all  was  ready.  Secrecy 
was  enjoined  on  every  one.  Led  by  the  sheriff 
and  his  deputy,  they  rode  out  about  midnight 
to  the  pasture  and  found  the  herd  and  herders. 

"  What  do  you  fellows  want  here  ?  "  de 
manded  young  Gray,  as  Ninde  and  his  posse 
rode  up. 

"We  want  these  horses,"  answered  the 
sheriff. 

"  On  what  authority  ?  "  demanded  Gray. 

"  This  is  sufficient  authority  for  you,"  said 
the  sheriff,  flashing  a  six-shooter  in  young 
Gray's  face.  All  the  heelers  to  the  play  now 
jumped  their  horses  forward,  holding  their  six- 
shooters  over  their  heads,  ratcheting  the  cylin 
ders  of  their  revolvers  by  cocking  and  lowering 
the  hammers,  as  if  nothing  but  a  fight  would 
satisfy  their  demand  for  gore. 

"  If  you  want  these  horses  that  bad,"  said 
young  Gray,  "  I  reckon  you  can  get  them  for 


288  CATTLE  BRANDS 

the  present.  But  I  want  to  tell  you  one  thing 
—  there  are  sixty  head  of  horses  here  under 
herd  with  ours,  outside  the  '96'  brand.  They 
belong  to  men  in  town.  If  you  take  them  out 
of  this  pasture  to-night,  they  might  consider 
you  a  horse-thief  and  deal  with  you  accord 
ingly.  You  know  you  are  doing  this  by  force 
of  arms.  You  have  no  more  authority  here 
than  any  other  man,  except  what  men  and 
guns  give  you.  Good-night,  sir,  I  may  see  you 
by  daylight." 

Calling  off  his  men,  they  let  little  grass  grow 
under  their  feet  as  they  rode  to  town.  The 
young  man  roused  his  father  and  uncle,  who  in 
turn  went  out  and  asked  their  friends  to  come 
to  their  assistance.  Together  with  the  owners 
of  the  sixty  head,  by  daybreak  they  had  eight 
een  mounted  and  armed  men. 

The  sheriff  paid  no  attention  to  the  advice  Qf 
young  Gray,  but  when  day  broke  he  saw  that 
he  had  more  horses  than  he  wanted,  as  there 
was  a  brand  or  two  there  he  had  no  claim  on, 
just  or  unjust,  and  they  must  be  cut  out  or 
trouble  would  follow.  One  of  the  men  with 
Ninde  knew  of  a  corral  where  this  work  could 
be  done,  and  to  this  corral,  which  was  at  least 
fifteen  miles  from  the  town  where  the  rescue 
party  of  Gray  had  departed  at  daybreak,  they 
started.  The  pursuing  posse  soon  took  the 


A   QUESTION   OF   POSSESSION     289 

trail  of  the  horses  from  where  they  left  the 
pasture,  and  as  they  headed  back  toward 
Texas,  it  was  feared  it  might  take  a  long,  hard 
ride  to  overtake  them.  The  gait  was  now  in 
creased  to  the  gallop,  not  fast,  probably  cover 
ing  ten  miles  an  hour,  which  was  considered 
better  time  than  the  herd  could  make  under 
any  circumstances. 

After  an  hour's  hard  riding,  it  was  evident, 
from  the  trail  left,  that  they  were  not  far  ahead. 
The  fact  that  they  were  carrying  off  with  them 
horses  that  were  the  private  property  of  men 
in  the  rescue  party  did  not  tend  to  fortify  the 
sheriff  in  the  good  opinion  of  any  of  the  res 
cuers.  It  was  now  noticed  that  the  herd  had 
left  the  trail  in  the  direction  of  a  place  where 
there  had  formerly  been  a  ranch  house,  the 
corrals  of  which  were  in  good  repair,  as  they 
were  frequently  used  for  branding  purposes. 
On  coming  in  sight  of  these  corrals,  Gray's 
party  noticed  that  some  kind  of  work  was 
being  carried  on,  so  they  approached  it  cau 
tiously.  The  word  came  back  that  it  was  the 
horses. 

Gray  said  to  his  party,  "  Keep  a  short  dis 
tance  behind  me.  I  '11  open  the  ball,  if  there 
is  any."  To  the  others  of  his  party,  it  seemed 
that  the  supreme  moment  in  the  old  man's 
life  had  come.  Over  his  determined  features 


2go  CATTLE   BRANDS 

there  spread  a  smile  of  the  deepest  satisfac 
tion,  as  though  some  great  object  in  life  was 
about  to  be  accomplished.  Yet  in  that  de 
termined  look  it  was  evident  that  he  would 
rather  be  shot  down  like  a  dog  than  yield 
to  what  he  felt  was  tyranny  and  the  denial  of 
his  rights.  When  his  party  came  within  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  corrals,  it  was  noticed 
that  Ninde  and  his  deputies  ceased  their  work, 
mounted  their  horses,  and  rode  out  into  the 
open,  the  sheriff  in  the  lead,  and  halted  to 
await  the  meeting. 

Gray  rode  up  to  within  a  hundred  feet  of 
Ninde's  posse,  and  dismounting  handed  the 
reins  of  his  bridle  to  his  son.  He  advanced 
with  a  steady,  even  stride,  a  double-barreled 
shotgun  held  as  though  he  expected  to  flush 
a  partridge.  At  this  critical  juncture,  his  party 
following  him  up,  it  seemed  that  reputations 
as  bad  men  were  due  to  get  action,  or  suffer  a 
discount  at  the  hands  of  heretofore  peaceable 
men.  Every  man  in  either  party  had  his  arms 
where  they  would  be  instantly  available  should 
the  occasion  demand  it.  When  Gray  came 
within  easy  hailing  distance,  his  challenge  was 
clear  and  audible  to  every  one.  "What  in 
hell  are  you  doing  with  my  horses  ?  " 

"  I  Ve  got  to  have  these  horses,  sir,"  an 
swered  Ninde. 


A  QUESTION   OF   POSSESSION     291 

"  Do  you  realize  what  it  will  take  to  get 
them  ?  "  asked  Gray,  as  he  brought  his  gun, 
both  barrels  at  full  cock,  to  his  shoulder.  "  Bat 
an  eye,  or  crook  your  little  finger  if  you  dare, 
and  I  '11  send  your  soul  glimmering  into  eter 
nity,  if  my  own  goes  to  hell  for  it."  There  was 
something  in  the  old  man's  voice  that  conveyed 
the  impression  that  these  were  not  idle  words. 
To  heed  them  was  the  better  way,  if  human 
life  had  any  value. 

"Well,  Mr.  Gray,"  said  the  sheriff,  "put 
down  your  gun  and  take  your  horses.  This 
has  been  a  bad  piece  of  business  for  us  —  take 
your  horses  and  go,  sir.  My  bondsmen  can 
pay  that  judgment,  if  they  have  to." 

Gray's  son  rode  around  during  the  conver 
sation,  opened  the  gate,  and  turned  out  the 
horses.  One  or  two  men  helped  him,  and  the 
herd  was  soon  on  its  way  to  the  pasture. 

As  the  men  of  his  party  turned  to  follow 
Gray,  who  had  remounted,  he  presented  a  piti 
ful  sight.  His  still  determined  features,  re 
laxed  from  the  high  tension  to  which  he  had 
been  nerved,  were  blanched  to  the  color  of 
his  hair  and  beard.  It  was  like  a  drowning 
man  —  with  the  strength  of  two  —  when  res 
cued  and  brought  safely  to  land,  fainting 
through  sheer  weakness.  A  reprieve  from 
death  itself  or  the  blood  of  his  fellow  man  upon 


292  CATTLE  BRANDS 

his  hands  had  been  met  and  passed.  It  was 
some  little  time  before  he  spoke,  then  he  said : 
"  I  reckon  it  was  best,  the  way  things  turned 
out,  for  I  would  hate  to  kill  any  man,  but  I 
would  gladly  die  rather  than  suffer  an  injustice 
or  quietly  submit  to  what  I  felt  was  a  wrong 
against  me." 

It  was  some  moments  before  the  party  be 
came  communicative,  as  they  all  had  a  respect 
for  the  old  man's  feelings.  Ninde  was  on  the 
uneasy  seat,  for  he  would  not  return  to  the 
State,  though  his  posse  returned  somewhat 
crestfallen.  It  may  be  added  that  the  sheriff's 
bondsmen,  upon  an  examination  into  the  facts 
in  the  case,  concluded  to  stand  a  suit  on  the 
developments  of  some  facts  which  their  exam 
ination  had  uncovered  in  the  original  proceed 
ings,  and  the  matter  was  dropped,  rather  than 
fight  it  through  in  open  court. 


XIV 
THE   STORY   OF  A   POKER  STEER 

HE  was  born  in  a  chaparral  thicket, 
south  of  the  Nueces  River  in  Texas. 
It  was  a  warm  night  in  April,  with 
a  waning  moon  hanging  like  a  hunter's  horn 
high  overhead,  when  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
drew  his  first  breath.  Ushered  into  a  strange 
world  in  the  fulfillment  of  natural  laws,  he  lay 
trembling  on  a  bed  of  young  grass,  listening 
to  the  low  mooings  of  his  mother  as  she  stood 
over  him  in  the  joy  and  pride  of  the  first  born. 
But  other  voices  of  the  night  reached  his  ears; 
a  whippoorwill  and  his  mate  were  making 
much  ado  over  the  selection  of  their  nesting- 
place  on  the  border  of  the  thicket.  The  tanta 
lizing  cry  of  a  coyote  on  the  nearest  hill  caused 
his  mother  to  turn  from  him,  lifting  her  head 
in  alarm,  and  uneasily  scenting  the  night  air. 
On  thus  being  deserted,  and  complying  with 
an  inborn  instinct  of  fear,  he  made  his  first 
attempt  to  rise  and  follow,  and  although  un 
successful  it  caused  his  mother  to  return  and 
by  her  gentle  nosings  and  lickings  to  calm 
him.  Then  in  an  effort  to  rise  he  struggled 


294  CATTLE  BRANDS 

to  his  knees,  only  to  collapse  like  a  limp  rag. 
But  after  several  such  attempts  he  finally  stood 
on  his  feet,  unsteady  on  his  legs,  and  tottering 
like  one  drunken.  Then  his  mother  nursed 
him,  and  as  the  new  milk  warmed  his  stomach 
he  gained  sufficient  assurance  of  his  footing  to 
wiggle  his  tail  and  to  butt  the  feverish  caked 
udder  with  his  velvety  muzzle.  After  satisfy 
ing  his  appetite  he  was  loath  to  lie  down  and 
rest,  but  must  try  his  legs  in  toddling  around 
to  investigate  this  strange  world  into  which  he 
had  been  ushered.  He  smelled  of  the  rich 
green  leaves  of  the  mesquite,  which  hung  in 
festoons  about  his  birth  chamber,  and  trampled 
underfoot  the  grass  which  carpeted  the  bower. 

After  several  hours'  sleep  he  was  awakened 
by  a  strange  twittering  above  him.  The  moon 
and  stars,  which  were  shining  so  brightly  at 
the  moment  of  his  birth,  had  grown  pale.  His 
mother  was  the  first  to  rise,  but  heedless  of 
her  entreaties  he  lay  still,  bewildered  by  the 
increasing  light.  Animals,  however,  have 
their  own  ways  of  teaching  their  little  ones, 
and  on  the  dam's  first  pretense  of  deserting 
him  he  found  his  voice,  and  uttering  a  plain* 
tive  cry,  struggled  to  his  feet,  which  caused 
his  mother  to  return  and  comfort  him. 

Later  she  enticed  him  out  of  the  thicket  to 
enjoy  his  first  sun  bath.  The  warmth  seemed 


STORY   OF  A   POKER   STEER     295 

to  relieve  the  stiffness  in  his  joints,  and  after 
each  nursing  during  the  day  he  attempted  sev 
eral  awkward  capers  in  his  fright  at  a  shadow 
or  the  rustle  of  a  leaf.  Near  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon,  his  mother  being  feverish,  it  was 
necessary  that  she  should  go  to  the  river  and 
slake  her  thirst.  So  she  enticed  him  to  a  place 
where  the  grass  in  former  years  had  grown 
rank,  and  as  soon  as  he  lay  down  she  cautioned 
him  to  be  quiet  during  her  enforced  absence,  and 
though  he  was  a  very  young  calf  he  remembered 
and  trusted  in  her.  It  was  several  miles  to  the 
river,  and  she  was  gone  two  whole  hours,  but 
not  once  did  he  disobey.  A  passing  ranchero 
reined  in  and  rode  within  three  feet  of  him, 
but  he  did  not  open  an  eye  or  even  twitch  an 
ear  to  scare  away  a  fly. 

The  horseman  halted  only  long  enough  to 
notice  the  flesh-marks.  The  calf  was  a  dark  red 
except  for  a  white  stripe  which  covered  the 
right  side  of  his  face,  including  his  ear  and 
lower  jaw,  and  continued  in  a  narrow  band 
beginning  on  his  withers  and  broadening  as  it 
extended  backward  until  it  covered  his  hips. 
Aside  from  his  good  color  the  ranchman  was 
pleased  with  his  sex,  for  a  steer  those  days  was 
better  than  gold.  So  the  cowman  rode  away 
with  a  pleased  expression  on  his  face,  but  there 
is  a  profit  and  loss  account  in  all  things. 


296  CATTLE   BRANDS 

When  the  calf's  mother  returned  she  re 
warded  her  offspring  for  his  obedience,  and  after 
grazing  until  dark,  she  led  him  into  the  cha 
parral  thicket  and  lay  down  for  the  night.  Thus 
the  first  day  of  his  life  and  a  few  succeeding  ones 
passed  with  unvarying  monotony.  But  when 
he  was  about  a  week  old  his  mother  allowed 
him  to  accompany  her  to  the  river,  where  he 
met  other  calves  and  their  dams.  She  was  but 
a  three-year-old,  and  he  was  her  first  baby; 
so,  as  they  threaded  their  way  through  the  cat 
tle  on  the  river-bank  the  little  line-back  calf 
was  the  object  of  much  attention.  The  other 
cows  were  jealous  of  him,  but  one  old  grand 
mother  came  up  and  smelled  of  him  benig- 
nantly,  as  if  to  say,  "Suky,  this  is  a  nice  baby 
boy  you  have  here." 

Then  the  young  cow,  embarrassed  by  so 
much  attention,  crossed  the  shallow  river  and 
went  up  among  some  hills  where  she  had 
once  ranged  and  where  the  vining  mesquite 
grass  grew  luxuriantly.  There  they  spent  sev 
eral  months,  and  the  calf  grew  like  a  weed, 
and  life  was  one  long  summer  day.  He  could 
have  lived  there  always  and  been  content,  for 
he  had  many  pleasures.  Other  cows,  also, 
brought  their  calves  up  to  the  same  place, 
and  he  had  numerous  playmates  in  his  gam 
bols  on  the  hillsides.  Among  the  other  calves 


STORY   OF   A   POKER   STEER    297 

was  a  speckled  heifer,  whose  dam  was  a  great 
crony  of  his  own  mother.  These  two  cows 
were  almost  inseparable  during  the  entire 
summer,  and  it  was  as  natural  as  the  falling 
of  a  mesquite  bean  that  he  should  form  a 
warm  attachment  for  his  speckled  play 
mate. 

But  this  June-time  of  his  life  had  an  ending 
when  late  in  the  fall  a  number  of  horsemen 
scoured  the  hills  and  drove  all  the  cattle  down 
to  the  river.  It  was  the  first  round-up  he  had 
ever  been  in,  so  he  kept  very  close  to  his 
mother's  side,  and  allowed  nothing  to  sepa 
rate  him  from  her.  When  the  outriders  had 
thrown  in  all  the  cattle  from  the  hills  and 
had  drifted  all  those  in  the  river  valley  to 
gether,  they  moved  them  back  on  an  open 
plain  and  began  cutting  out.  There  were 
many  men  at  the  work,  and  after  all  the 
cows  and  calves  had  been  cut  into  a  separate 
herd,  the  other  cattle  were  turned  loose. 
Then  with  great  shoutings  the  cows  were 
started  up  the  river  to  a  branding-pen  several 
miles  distant.  Never  during  his  life  did  the 
line-back  calf  forget  that  day.  There  was 
such  a  rush  and  hurrah  among  these  horse 
men  that  long  before  they  reached  the  corrals 
the  line-back's  tongue  lolled  out,  for  he  was 
now  a  very  fat  calf.  Only  once  did  he  even 


298  CATTLE  BRANDS 

catch  sight  of  his  speckled  playmate,  who 
was  likewise  trembling  like  a  fawn. 

Inside  the  corral  he  rested  for  a  short  time 
in  the  shade  of  the  palisades.  His  mother, 
however,  scented  with  alarm  a  fire  which  was 
being  built  in  the  middle  of  the  branding-pen. 
Several  men,  who  seemed  to  be  the  owners, 
rode  through  the  corralled  cows  while  the 
cruel  irons  were  being  heated.  Then  the  man 
who  directed  the  work  ordered  into  their  sad 
dles  a  number  of  swarthy  fellows  who  spoke 
Spanish,  and  the  work  of  branding  commenced. 

The  line-back  calf  kept  close  to  his  mother's 
side,  and  as  long  as  possible  avoided  the  ropers. 
But  in  an  unguarded  moment  the  noose  of  a 
rope  encircled  one  of  his  hind  feet,  and  he  was 
thrown  upon  his  side,  and  in  this  position  the 
mounted  man  dragged  him  up  to  the  fire.  His 
mother  followed  him  closely,  but  she  was  afraid 
of  the  men,  and  could  only  stand  at  a  distance 
and  listen  to  his  piteous  crying.  The  roper, 
when  asked  for  the  brand,  replied,  "  Bar-cir 
cle-bar,"  for  that  was  the  brand  his  mother  bore. 
A  tall  quiet  man  who  did  the  branding  called 
to  a  boy  who  attended  the  fire  to  bring  him  two 
irons;  with  one  he  stamped  the  circle,  and  with 
the  other  he  made  a  short  horizontal  bar  on 
either  side  of  it.  Then  he  took  a  bloody  knife 
from  between  his  teeth  and  cut  an  under-bit 


STORY   OF  A   POKER  STEER    299 

from  the  calf's  right  ear,  inquiring  of  the  owner 
as  he  did  so,  "  Do  you  want  this  calf  left  for  a 
bull?" 

"No;  yearlings  will  be  worth  fourteen  dol 
lars  next  spring.  He 's  a  first  calf  —  his  mother 's 
only  a  three-year-old." 

As  he  was  released  he  edged  away  from  the 
fire,  forlorn  looking.  His  mother  coaxed  him 
over  into  a  corner  of  the  corral,  where  he 
dropped  exhausted,  for  with  his  bleeding  ear, 
his  seared  side,  and  a  hundred  shooting  pains 
in  his  loins,  he  felt  as  if  he  must  surely  die. 
His  dam,  however,  stood  over  him  until  the 
day's  work  was  ended,  and  kept  the  other  cows 
from  trampling  him.  When  the  gates  were 
thrown  open  and  they  were  given  their  freedom, 
he  cared  nothing  for  it;  he  wanted  to  die.  He 
did  not  attempt  to  leave  the  corral  until  after 
darkness  had  settled  over  the  scene.  Then 
with  much  persuasion  he  arose  and  limped 
along  after  his  mother.  But  before  he  could 
reach  the  river,  which  was  at  least  half  a  mile 
away,  he  sank  down  exhausted.  If  he  could 
only  slake  his  terrible  thirst  he  felt  he  might 
possibly  survive,  for  the  pain  had  eased  some 
what.  With  every  passing  breeze  of  the  night 
he  could  scent  the  water,  and  several  times  in 
his  feverish  fancy  he  imagined  he  could  hear 
it  as  it  gurgled  over  its  pebbly  bed. 


300  CATTLE  BRANDS 

Just  at  sunrise,  ere  the  heat  of  the  day  fell 
upon  him,  he  struggled  to  his  feet,  for  he  felt 
it  was  a  matter  of  life  and  death  with  him  to 
reach  the  river.  At  last  he  dragged  his  pain- 
racked  body  down  to  the  rippling  water  and 
lowered  his  head  to  drink,  but  it  seemed  as  if 
every  exertion  tended  to  reopen  those  seared 
scars,  and  with  the  one  thing  before  him  that 
he  most  desired,  he  moaned  in  misery.  A  little 
farther  away  was  a  deep  pool.  This  he  managed 
to  crawl  to,  and  there  he  remained  for  a  long 
time,  for  the  water  laved  his  wounds,  and  he 
drank  and  drank.  The  sun  now  beat  down  on 
him  fiercely,  and  he  must  seek  some  shady  place 
for  the  day,  but  he  started  reluctantly  to  leave, 
and  when  he  reached  the  shallows,  he  turned 
back  to  the  comfort  of  the  pool  and  drank  again. 

A  thickety  motte  of  chaparral  which  grew 
back  from  the  scattering  timber  on  the  river 
afforded  him  the  shelter  and  seclusion  he 
wanted,  for  he  dared  not  trust  himself  where 
the  grown  cattle  congregated  for  the  day's 
siesta.  During  all  his  troubles  his  mother  had 
never  forsaken  him,  and  frequently  offered  him 
the  scanty  nourishment  of  her  udder,  but  he 
had  no  appetite  and  could  scarcely  raise  his 
eyes  to  look  at  her.  But  time  heals  all  wounds, 
and  within  a  week  he  followed  his  dam  back 
into  the  hills  where  grew  the  succulent  grama 


STORY   OF   A   POKER   STEER    301 

grass  which  he  loved.  There  they  remained 
for  more  than  a  month,  and  he  met  his  speckled 
playmate  again. 

One  day  a  great  flight  of  birds  flew  south 
ward,  and  amidst  the  cawing  of  crows  and  the 
croaking  of  ravens  the  cattle  which  ranged 
beyond  came  down  out  of  the  hills  in  long 
columns,  heading  southward.  The  line-back 
calf  felt  a  change  himself  in  the  pleasant  day's 
atmosphere.  His  mother  and  the  dam  of  the 
speckled  calf  laid  their  heads  together,  and 
after  scenting  the  air  for  several  minutes,  they 
curved  their  tails  —  a  thing  he  had  never  seen 
sedate  cows  do  before  —  and  stampeded  off 
to  the  south.  Of  course  the  line-back  calf  and 
his  playmate  went  along,  outrunning  their 
mothers.  They  traveled  far  into  the  night  until 
they  reached  a  chaparral  thicket,  south  of  the 
river,  much  larger  than  the  one  in  which  he 
was  born.  It  was  well  they  sought  its  shelter, 
for  two  hours  before  daybreak  a  norther  swept 
across  the  range,  which  chilled  them  to  the 
bone.  When  day  dawned  a  mist  was  falling 
which  incrusted  every  twig  and  leaf  in  crystal 
armor. 

There  were  many  such  northers  during  the 
first  winter.  The  one  mysterious  thing  which 
bothered  him  was,  how  it  was  that  his  mother 
could  always  foretell  when  one  was  coming. 


V302  CATTLE   BRANDS 

But  he  was  glad  she  could,  for  she  always 
sought  out  some  cosy  place ;  and  now  he  no 
ticed  that  his  coat  had  thickened  until  it  was 
as  heavy  as  the  fur  on  a  bear,  and  he  began  to 
feel  a  contempt  for  the  cold.  But  springtime 
came  very  early  in  that  southern  clime,  and  as 
he  nibbled  the  first  tender  blades  of  grass,  he 
felt  an  itching  in  his  wintry  coat  and  rubbed  off 
great  tufts  of  hair  against  the  chaparral  bushes. 
Then  one  night  his  mother,  without  a  word 
of  farewell,  forsook  him,  and  it  was  several 
months  before  he  saw  her  again.  But  he  had 
the  speckled  heifer  yet  for  a  companion,  when 
suddenly  her  dam  disappeared  in  the  same 
inexplicable  manner  as  had  his  own. 

He  was  a  yearling  now,  and  with  his  play 
mate  he  ranged  up  and  down  the  valley  of  the 
Nueces  for  miles.  But  in  June  came  a  heavy 
rain,  almost  a  deluge,  and  nearly  all  the  cattle 
left  the  valley  for  the  hills,  for  now  there  was 
water  everywhere.  The  two  yearlings  were 
the  last  to  go,  but  one  morning  while  feeding 
the  line-back  got  a  ripe  grass  burr  in  his  mouth. 
Then  he  took  warning,  for  he  despised  grass 
burrs,  and  that  evening  the  two  cronies  crossed 
the  river  and  went  up  into  the  hills  where  they 
had  ranged  as  calves  the  summer  before. 
Within  a  week,  at  a  lake  which  both  well  re 
membered,  they  met  their  mothers  face  to  face. 


STORY   OF   A   POKER   STEER    303 

The  steer  was  on'  the  point  of  upbraiding  his 
maternal  relative  for  deserting  him,  when  a 
cream-colored  heifer  calf  came  up  and  nour 
ished  itself  at  the  cow's  udder.  That  was  too 
much  for  him.  He  understood  now  why  she 
had  left  him,  and  he  felt  that  he  was  no  longer 
her  baby.  Piqued  with  mortification  he  went 
to  a  near-by  knoll  where  the  ground  was 
broken,  and  with  his  feet  pawed  up  great 
clouds  of  dust  which  settled  on  his  back  until 
the  white  spot  was  almost  obscured.  The  next 
morning  he  and  the  speckled  heifer  went  up 
higher  into  the  hills  where  the  bigger  steer 
cattle  ranged.  He  had  not  been  there  the  year 
before,  and  he  had  a  great  curiosity  to  see  what 
the  upper  country  was  like. 

In  the  extreme  range  of  the  hills  back  from 
the  river,  the  two  spent  the  entire  summer,  or 
until  the  first  norther  drove  them  down  to  the 
valley.  The  second  winter  was  much  milder 
than  the  first  one,  snow  and  ice  being  unknown. 
So  when  spring  came  again  they  were  both 
very  fat,  and  together  they  planned  —  as  soon 
as  the  June  rains  came  —  to  go  on  a  little 
pasear  over  north  on  the  Frio  River.  They 
had  met  others  of  their  kind  from  the  Frio 
when  out  on  those  hills  the  summer  before,  and 
had  found  them  decently  behaved  cattle. 

But  though  the  outing  was  feasible  and  well 


304  CATTLE  BRANDS 

planned,  it  was  not  to  be.  For  after  both  had 
shed  their  winter  coats,  the  speckled  heifer 
was  as  pretty  a  two-year-old  as  ever  roamed 
the  Nueces  valley  or  drank  out  of  its  river, 
and  the  line-back  steer  had  many  rivals.  Al 
most  daily  he  fought  other  steers  of  his  own 
age  and  weight,  who  were  paying  altogether 
too  marked  attention  to  his  crony.  Although 
he  never  outwardly  upbraided  her  for  it,  her 
coquetry  was  a  matter  of  no  small  concern  with 
him.  At  last  one  day  in  April  she  forced 
matters  to  an  open  rupture  between  them.  A 
dark  red,  arch-necked,  curly-headed  animal 
came  bellowing  defiance  across  their  feeding- 
grounds.  Without  a  moment's  hesitation  the 
line-back  had  accepted  the  challenge  and  had 
locked  horns  with  this  Adonis.  Though  he 
fought  valiantly  the  battle  is  ever  with  the 
strong,  and  inch  by  inch  he  was  forced  back 
ward.  When  he  realized  that  he  must  yield, 
he  turned  to  flee,  and  his  rival  with  one  horn 
caught  him  behind  the  fore  shoulder,  cutting 
a  cruel  gash  nearly  a  foot  in  length.  Reach 
ing  a  point  of  safety  he  halted,  and  as  he  wit 
nessed  his  adversary  basking  in  the  coquettish, 
amorous  advances  of  her  who  had  been  his 
constant  companion  since  babyhood,  his  wrath 
was  uncontrollable.  Kneeling,  he  cut  the 
ground  with  his  horns,  throwing  up  clouds  of 


STORY   OF  A   POKER   STEER    305 

dust,  and  then  and  there  he  renounced  kith 
and  kin,  the  speckled  heifer  and  the  Nueces 
valley  forever.  He  firmly  resolved  to  start  at 
once  for  the  Frio  country.  He  was  a  proud 
two-year-old  and  had  always  held  his  head 
high.  Could  his  spirit  suffer  the  humiliation 
of  meeting  his  old  companions  after  such  de 
feat  ?  No!  Hurling  his  bitterest  curses  on 
the  amorous  pair,  he  turned  his  face  to  the 
northward. 

On  reaching  the  Nueces,  feverish  in  anger, 
he  drank  sparingly,  kneeling  against  the  soft 
river's  bank,  cutting  it  with  his  horns,  and 
matting  his  forehead  with  red  mud.  It  was  a 
momentous  day  in  his  life.  He  distinctly  re 
membered  the  physical  pain  he  had  suffered 
once  in  a  branding-pen,  but  that  was  nothing 
compared  to  this.  Surely  his  years  had  been 
few  and  full  of  trouble.  He  hardly  knew 
which  way  to  turn.  Finally  he  concluded  to 
lie  down  on  a  knoll  and  rest  until  nightfall, 
when  he  would  start  on  his  journey  to  the 
Frio.  Just  how  he  was  to  reach  that  country 
troubled  him.  He  was  a  cautious  fellow;  he 
knew  he  must  have  water  on  the  way,  and  the 
rains  had  not  yet  fallen. 

Near  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  an  inci 
dent  occurred  which  changed  the  whole  course 
of  his  after-life.  From  his  position  on  the  knoll 


306  CATTLE  BRANDS 

he  witnessed  the  approach  of  four  horsemen 
who  apparently  were  bent  on  driving  all  the 
cattle  in  that  vicinity  out  of  their  way.  To 
get  a  better  view  he  arose,  for  it  was  evident 
they  had  no  intention  of  disturbing  him.  When 
they  had  drifted  away  all  the  cattle  for  a  mile 
on  both  sides  of  the  river,  one  of  the  horsemen 
rode  back  and  signaled  to  some  one  in  the  dis 
tance.  Then  the  line-back  steer  saw  something 
new,  for  coming  over  the  brow  of  the  hill 
was  a  great  column  of  cattle.  He  had  never 
witnessed  such  a  procession  of  his  kind  be 
fore.  When  the  leaders  had  reached  the 
river,  the  rear  was  just  coming  over  the  brow 
of  the  hill,  for  the  column  was  fully  a  mile  in 
length.  The  line-back  steer  classed  them  as 
strangers,  probably  bound  for  the  Frio,  for 
that  was  the  remotest  country  in  his  know 
ledge.  As  he  slowly  approached  the  herd, 
which  was  then  crowding  into  the  river,  he 
noticed  that  they  were  nearly  all  two-year- 
olds  like  himself.  Why  not  accompany  them  ? 
His  resolution  to  leave  the  Nueces  valley  was 
still  uppermost  in  his  mind.  But  when  he 
attempted  to  join  in,  a  dark-skinned  man  on  a 
horse  chased  him  away,  cursing  him  in  Span 
ish  as  he  ran.  Then  he  thought  they  must 
be  exclusive,  and  wondered  where  they  came 
from. 


STORY  OF  A   POKER  STEER    307 

But  when  the  line-back  steer  once  resolved 
to  do  anything,  the  determination  became  a 
consuming  desire.  He  threw  the  very  inten 
sity  of  his  existence  into  his  resolution  of  the 
morning.  He  would  leave  the  Nueces  valley 
with  those  cattle  —  or  alone,  it  mattered  not. 
So  after  they  had  watered  and  grazed  out 
from  the  river,  he  followed  at  a  respectful 
distance.  Once  again  he  tried  to  enter  the 
herd,  but  an  outrider  cut  him  off.  The  man 
was  well  mounted,  and  running  his  horse  up 
to  him  he  took  up  his  tail,  wrapped  the  brush 
around  the  pommel  of  his  saddle,  and  by  a 
dexterous  turn  of  his  horse  threw  him  until 
he  spun  like  a  top.  The  horseman  laughed. 
The  ground  was  sandy,  and  while  the  throw 
ing  frightened  him,  never  for  an  instant  did  it 
shake  his  determination. 

So  after  darkness  had  fallen  and  the  men 
had  bedded  their  cattle  for  the  night,  he 
slipped  through  the  guard  on  night-herd  and 
lay  down  among  the  others.  He  compli 
mented  himself  on  his  craftiness,  but  never 
dreamed  that  this  was  a  trail  herd,  bound  for 
some  other  country  three  hundred  miles  be 
yond  his  native  Texas.  The  company  was 
congenial;  it  numbered  thirty-five  hundred 
two-year-old  steers  like  himself,  and  strangely 
no  one  ever  noticed  him  until  long  after  they 


308  CATTLE  BRANDS 

had  crossed  the  Frio.  Then  a  swing  man 
one  day  called  his  foreman's  attention  to  a 
stray,  line-backed,  bar-circle-bar  steer  in  the 
herd.  The  foreman  only  gave  him  a  passing 
glance,  saying,  "Let  him  alone;  we  may  get 
a  jug  of  whiskey  for  him  if  some  trail  cutter 
don't  claim  him  before  we  cross  Red  River." 

Now  Red  River  was  the  northern  boundary 
of  his  native  State,  and  though  he  was  un 
conscious  of  his  destination,  he  was  delighted 
with  his  new  life  and  its  constant  change  of 
scene.  He  also  rejoiced  that  every  hour  car 
ried  him  farther  and  farther  from  the  Nueces 
valley,  where  he  had  suffered  so  much  phy 
sical  pain  and  humiliation.  So  for  several 
months  he  traveled  northward  with  the  herd. 
He  swam  rivers  and  grazed  in  contentment 
across  flowery  prairies,  mesas  and  broken 
country.  Yet  it  mattered  nothing  to  him  where 
he  was  going,  for  his  every  need  was  satisfied. 
These  men  with  the  herd  were  friendly  to  him, 
for  they  anticipated  his  wants  by  choosing  the 
best  grazing,  so  arranging  matters  that  he 
reached  water  daily,  and  selecting  a  dry  bed 
ground  for  him  at  night.  And  when  strange 
copper-colored  men  with  feathers  in  their  hair 
rode  along  beside  the  herd  he  felt  no  fear. 

The  provincial  ideas  of  his  youth  underwent 
a  complete  change  within  the  first  month  of 


STORY   OF  A   POKER  STEER    309 

trail  life.  When  he  swam  Red  River  with  the 
leaders  of  the  herd,  he  not  only  bade  farewell 
to  his  native  soil,  but  burned  all  bridges  behind 
him.  To  the  line-back  steer,  existence  on  the 
Nueces  had  been  very  simple.  But  now  his 
views  were  broadening.  Was  not  he  a  unit  of 
millions  of  his  kind,  all  forging  forward  like 
brigades  of  a  king's  army  to  possess  them 
selves  of  some  unconquered  country?  These 
men  with  whom  he  was  associated  were  the 
vikings  of  the  Plain.  The  Red  Man  was  con 
quered,  and,  daily,  the  skulls  of  the  buffalo,  his 
predecessors,  stared  vacantly  into  his  face. 

By  the  middle  of  summer  they  reached  their 
destination,  for  the  cattle  were  contracted  to  a 
cowman  in  the  Cherokee  Strip,  Indian  Terri 
tory.  The  day  of  delivery  had  arrived.  The 
herd  was  driven  into  a  pasture  where  they  met 
another  outfit  of  horsemen  similar  to  their  own. 
The  cattle  were  strung  out  and  counted.  The 
men  agreed  on  the  numbers.  But  watchful 
eyes  scanned  every  brand  as  they  passed  in 
review,  and  the  men  in  the  receiving  outfit 
called  the  attention  of  their  employer  to  the 
fact  that  there  were  several  strays  in  the  herd 
not  in  the  road  brand.  One  of  these  strays  was 
a  line-back,  bar-circle-bar,  two-year-old  steer. 
There  were  also  others;  when  fifteen  of  them 
had  been  cut  out  and  the  buyer  asked  the  trail 


310  CATTLE  BRANDS 

foreman  if  he  was  willing  to  include  them  in 
the  bill  of  sale,  the  latter  smilingly  replied: 
"  Not  on  your  life,  Captain.  You  can't  keep 
them  out  of  a  herd.  Down  in  my  country  we 
call  strays  like  them  poker  steers" 

And  so  there  were  turned  loose  in  the  Cold- 
water  Pool,  one  of  the  large  pastures  in  the 
Strip,  fifteen  strays.  That  night,  in  a  dug-out 
on  that  range,  the  home  outfit  of  cowboys 
played  poker  until  nearly  morning.  There 
were  seven  men  in  the  camp  entitled  to  share 
in  this  flotsam  on  their  range,  the  extra  steer 
falling  to  the  foreman.  Mentally  they  had  a 
list  of  the  brands,  and  before  the  game  opened 
the  strays  were  divided  among  the  participants. 
An  animal  was  represented  by  ten  beans.  At 
the  beginning  the  boys  played  cautiously, 
counting  every  card  at  its  true  worth  in  a 
hazard  of  chance.  But  as  the  game  wore  on 
and  the  more  fortunate  ones  saw  their  chips 
increase,  the  weaker  ones  were  gradually 
forced  out.  At  midnight  but  five  players  re 
mained  in  the  game.  By  three  in  the  morn 
ing  the  foreman  lost  his  last  bean,  and  ordered 
the  men  into  their  blankets,  saying  they  must 
be  in  their  saddles  by  dawn,  riding  the  fences, 
scattering  and  locating  the  new  cattle.  As  the 
men  yawningly  arose  to  obey,  Dick  Larkin 
defiantly  said  to  the  winners,  "  I've  just  got  ten 


STORY   OF   A   POKER   STEER    311 

beans  left,  and  I'll  cut  high  card  with  any  man 
to  see  who  takes  mine  or  I  take  one  of  his 
poker  steers." 

"  My  father  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  the 
Wilderness,"  replied  Tex,  "and  I'm  as  game 
a  breed  as  you  are.  I'll  match  your  beans  and 
pit  you  my  bar-circle-bar  steer." 

"  My  sire  was  born  in  Ireland  and  is  living 
yet,"  retorted  Bold  Richard.  "  Cut  the  cards, 
young  fellow." 

u  The  proposition  is  yours  —  cut  first  your 
self." 

The  other  players  languidly  returned  to  the 
table.  Larkin  cut  a  five  spot  of  clubs  and  was  in 
the  act  of  tearing  it  in  two,  when  Tex  turned  the 
tray  of  spades.  Thus,  on  the  turn  of  a  low  card, 
the  line-back  steer  passed  into  the  questionable 
possession  of  Dick  Larkin.  The  Cherokee 
Strip  wrought  magic  in  a  Texas  steer.  One  or 
two  winters  in  its  rigorous  climate  transformed 
the  gaunt  long-horn  into  a  marketable  beef. 
The  line-back  steer  met  the  rigors  of  the  first 
winter  and  by  June  was  as  glossy  as  a  gentle 
man's  silk  tile.  But  at  that  spring  round-up 
there  was  a  special  inspector  from  Texas,  and 
no  sooner  did  his  eye  fall  upon  the  bar-circle- 
bar  steer  than  he  opened  his  book  and  showed 
the  brand  and  his  authority  to  claim  him. 
When  Dick  Larkin  asked  to  see  his  creden- 


312  CATTLE   BRANDS 

tials,  the  inspector  not  only  produced  them, 
but  gave  the  owner's  name  and  the  county  in 
which  the  brand  was  a  matter  of  record.  There 
was  no  going  back  on  that,  and  the  Texas  man 
took  the  line-back  steer.  But  the  round-up 
stayed  all  night  in  the  Pool  pasture,  and  Larkin 
made  it  his  business  to  get  on  second  guard 
in  night-herding  the  cut.  He  had  previously 
assisted  in  bedding  down  the  cattle  for  the 
night,  and  made  it  a  point  to  see  that  the  poker 
three-year-old  lay  down  on  the  outer  edge  of 
the  bed  ground.  The  next  morning  the  line- 
back  steer  was  on  his  chosen  range  in  the 
south  end  of  the  pasture.  How  he  escaped  was 
never  known;  there  are  ways  and  ways  in  a 
cow  country. 

At  daybreak  the  round-up  moved  into  the 
next  pasture,  the  wagons,  cut  and  saddle  horses 
following.  The  special  inspector  was  kept  so 
busy  for  the  next  week  that  he  never  had  time 
to  look  over  the  winter  drift  and  strays,  which 
now  numbered  nearly  two  thousand  cattle. 
When  the  work  ended  the  inspector  missed 
the  line-back  steer.  He  said  nothing,  however, 
but  exercised  caution  enough  to  take  what 
cattle  he  had  gathered  up  into  Kansas  for  pas 
turage. 

When  the  men  who  had  gone  that  year  on 
the  round-up  on  the  western  division  returned, 


STORY   OF  A   POKER   STEER    313 

there  was  a  man  from  Recce's  camp  in  the 
Strip,  east  on  Black  Bear,  who  asked  permis 
sion  to  leave  about  a  dozen  cattle  in  the  Pool. 
He  was  alone,  and,  saying  he  would  bring  an 
other  man  with  him  during  the  shipping  sea 
son,  he  went  his  way.  But  when  Recce's  men 
came  back  after  their  winter  drift  during  the 
beef-gathering  season,  Bold  Richard  Larkin 
bantered  the  one  who  had  left  the  cattle  for  a 
poker  game,  pitting  the  line-back  three-year- 
old  against  a  white  poker  cow  then  in  the  Pool 
pasture  and  belonging  to  the  man  from  Black 
Bear.  It  was  a  short  but  spirited  game.  At  its 
end  the  bar-circle-bar  steer  went  home  with 
Recce's  man.  There  was  a  protective  code 
of  honor  among  rustlers,  and  Larkin  gave  the 
new  owner  the  history  of  the  steer.  He  told 
him  that  the  brand  was  of  record  in  McMullen 
County,  Texas,  warned  him  of  special  inspect 
ors,  and  gave  him  other  necessary  informa 
tion. 

The  men  from  the  Coldwater  Pool,  who 
went  on  the  eastern  division  of  the  round-up 
next  spring,  came  back  and  reported  having 
seen  a  certain  line-back  poker  steer,  but  the 
bar-circle-bar  had  somehow  changed,  until 
now  it  was  known  as  the  pilot  wheel.  And,  so 
report  came  back,  in  the  three  weeks'  work 
that  spring,  the  line-back  pilot- wheel  steer  had 


314  CATTLE   BRANDS 

changed  owners  no  less  than  five  times.  Late 
that  fall  word  came  down  from  Fant's  pasture 
up  west  on  the  Salt  Fork  to  send  a  man  or  two 
up  there,  as  Coldwater  Pool  cattle  had  been 
seen  on  that  range.  Larkin  and  another  lad 
went  up  to  a  beef  round-up,  and  almost  the 
first  steer  Bold  Richard  laid  his  eyes  on  was 
an  under-bit,  line-back,  once  a  bar-circle-bar 
but  now  a  pilot-wheel  beef.  Larkin  swore 
by  all  the  saints  he  would  know  that  steer  in 
Hades.  Then  Abner  Taylor  called  Bold  Rich 
ard  aside  and  told  him  that  he  had  won  the 
steer  about  a  week  before  from  an  Eagle 
Chief  man,  who  had  also  won  the  beef  from 
another  man  east  on  Black  Bear  during  the 
spring  round-up.  The  explanation  satisfied 
Larkin,  who  recognized  the  existing  code 
among  rustlers. 

The  next  spring  the  line-back  steer  was  a 
five-year-old.  Three  winters  in  that  northern 
climate  had  put  the  finishing  touches  on  him. 
He  was  a  beauty.  But  Abner  Taylor  knew  he 
dared  not  ship  him  to  a  market,  for  there 
he  would  have  to  run  a  regular  gauntlet  of 
inspectors.  There  was  another  chance  open, 
however.  Fant,  Taylor's  employer,  had  many 
Indian  contracts.  One  contract  in  particular 
required  three  thousand  northern  wintered 
cattle  for  the  Fort  Peck  Indian  Reservation 


STORY   OF  A   POKER   STEER    315 

in  northeast  Montana.  Fant  had  wintered  the 
cattle  with  which  to  fill  this  contract  on  his 
Salt  Fork  range  in  the  Cherokee  Strip.  When 
the  cowman  cast  about  for  a  foreman  on  start 
ing  the  herd  for  Fort  Peck,  the  fact  that  Abner 
Taylor  was  a  Texan  was  sufficient  recommend 
ation  with  Fant.  And  the  line-back  beef  and 
several  other  poker  steers  went  along. 

The  wintered  herd  of  beeves  were  grazed 
across  to  Fort  Peck  in  little  less  than  three 
months.  On  reaching  the  agency,  the  cattle 
were  in  fine  condition  and  ready  to  issue  to 
the  Indian  wards  of  our  Christian  nation.  In 
the  very  first  allotment  from  this  herd  the  line- 
back  beef  was  cut  off  with  thirty  others.  It 
was  fitting  that  he  should  die  in  his  prime.  As 
the  thirty  head  were  let  out  of  the  agency  cor 
ral,  a  great  shouting  arose  among  the  braves 
who  were  to  make  the  kill.  A  murderous  fire 
from  a  hundred  repeaters  was  poured  into  the 
running  cattle.  Several  fell  to  their  knees, 
then  rose  and  struggled  on.  The  scene  was 
worthy  of  savages.  As  the  cattle  scattered 
several  Indians  singled  out  the  line-back  poker 
steer.  One  specially  well-mounted  brave  ran 
his  pony  along  beside  him  and  pumped  the 
contents  of  his  carbine  into  the  beef's  side. 
With  the  blood  frothing  from  his  nostrils,  the 
line-back  turned  and  catching  the  horse  with 


316  CATTLE   BRANDS 

his  horn  disemboweled  him.  The  Indian  had 
thrown  himself  on  the  side  of  his  mount  .to 
avoid  the  sudden  thrust,  and,  as  the  pony  fell, 
he  was  pinned  under  him.  With  admirable 
tenacity  of  life  the  pilot-wheel  steer  staggered 
back  and  made  several  efforts  to  gore  the 
dying  horse  and  helpless  rider,  but  with  a  dozen 
shots  through  his  vitals,  he  sank  down  and  ex 
pired.  A  destiny,  over  which  he  had  no  seem 
ing  control,  willed  that  he  should  yield  to  the 
grim  reaper  nearly  three  thousand  miles  from 
his  birthplace  on  the  sunny  Nueces. 

Abner  Taylor,  witnessing  the  incident,  rode 
over  to  a  companion  and  inquired:  "  Did  you 
notice  my  line-back  poker  steer  play  his  last 
trump  ?  From  the  bottom  of  my  heart  I  wish 
he  had  killed  the  Indian  instead  of  the  pony." 


EUctrttyped  and  printed  by  H.  O.  Heugkten  <5-  C<r 
Cambridge,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


GENERAL  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA— BERKELEY 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or  on  the 

date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


FEB? 


7May'39FC 


REC'D  I_D 

MPR  25  1959 


LD 


2873 


DID    JUL9 

2  &  1972  3  5 


8197^ 


21-100m-l,'54(1887sl6)476 

L.O. 


AR 


113340 


c 


M313340 


